The Arc Diestro
by Savage theron
Summary: To be a Diestro is to be counted amongst the finest of Estalian duelists. One must be a master of sword, gun, and wits to be counted among the few that can claim this distinguished title.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer, I don't own RWBY or** **Warhammer. Those two are owned by rooster teeth and Games workshop** **respectively.  
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^ **Vale airspace, airship en route to Beacon Academy^**

 _Why! Why was I cursed with motion sickness!?_

Jaune was currently rethinking if it was worth faking his credentials to enter Beacon Academy. Sure he could now start his dream of becoming a Huntsman and live up to the Arc name. But if becoming a huntsman meant constant flying, then maybe, just maybe, opening up the first Arc bakery wasn't such a bad idea after all. He destroyed the thought, thinking about how his sisters would react if they found out he quit this early. Besides, there were bigger worries at the moment... Like keeping the vomit from getting out. He pushed himself away from the supportive wall and started stumbling down the main deck. Sadly at that moment, air turbulence struck, and he vomited out in the open. "Oh man, now everyone is gonna make fun of me, well it can't get worse than thi—!" Jaune slammed his hands in front of his mouth, stopping himself from finishing the sentence and dooming himself further.

"Yang, you have vomit in your hair! Ew ew ew!"

"MY HAIR!? I'LL BREAK YOUR FACE, VOMIT BOY!"

 _I'm doomed! Okay, take a breather, and do the usual sorry routine! Sure girls have a special thing for their hair, but no girl would actually 'kill' fo—IS THAT RED EYES!? WHEN DID SHE GET THOS—_ the girl's clenched fist ended his thoughts for good.

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^ **Estalia 2519 IC, city of Magritta** ^

A young Diestro ran through the streets and killed any Skaven he could find. Half the city burned in green warp fire, and bells sounded out in alarm from the temples of Myrmidia. Everywhere was total chaos with human Estalians fighting against the Ratmen known as Skaven. "My rapier will sing tales of your screams, furred-scum! Not only do you DARE attack Magritta, my birthplace. You DARE do it when I was celebrating the king rewarding me with the title of Hidalgo!? Myrmidia damn you all! Do you know how long it took me to return from Lustria!?"

His shout was heard throughout the cobblestone street, making a horde of clanrats stop their plundering. "Kill-eat the manthing!" Screamed a shrill voice and the horde was upon him.

The swashbuckler, with the overblown cavalier hat, stopped and readied his posture. "Perfect, I was wasting energy running. Now know the name of JUAN, because it will be ME, who sends you to Myrmidia's tribunal!" He turned his body and placed his right foot in front of him, then shifted his left foot behind it so the heels were slightly apart. His sword arm arose to shoulder level, making his cup hilt rapier parallel to the ground and pointed directly at the beasts half his size.

The clanrats stopped in their tracks, something instinctual telling them to flee from certain death. Juan saw it, smirked, and mockingly placed his left hand behind his back. "To give you a shot at ending my life, I will refrain from using my left hand. Now come on! You shall be fodder for my sweet little kitten."

This was the warpstone that broke the Skaven slave's back, and with rage fueled vigor they resumed their charge. The first Skaven to come into range got beheaded with a swipe. The second Skaven raised his shield in preparation for the next swipe, only for the Diestro to sidestep to the left while turning his body to cut off its head from behind. Now with his back exposed, the third Skaven seized the moment and thrust his spear into the defenseless back.

"Predictable!"

To the horror of the Skaven, Juan immediately stabbed his rapier downwards his back, making the rusty spear parry off the flat side of his rapier. The spear-wielding clanrat dropped his spear and fell down in terror, cursing that he did not listen to his instincts telling him to flee against the monster in the skin of a swordsman.

The Diestro raised the bloody rapier up for all the Skaven to see, and with a swift cut, made a line of blood between them. "I've finished my trigonometry calculations. There is no hope for you, cross this line, and I will exterminate you. " He slowly turned his head over his shoulder and gave them a glare that backed his words.

The Skavens that were not on the ground, permanently or otherwise, turned around and ran like the Screaming One was after them.

 _San Pedro's beard! If Maestro_ _Jerónimo_ _ever finds out I let my back be wide open, he's gonna sell my bottom to an Arabian emir! Yet, I did save valuable energy by scaring off these rats, even if I had to use those useless Tilean theatrical moves. I mean, why are heads getting chopped off more frightful than arteries getting cut?_ He looked down on the lone clanrat and pointed his rapier at the Skaven heart. _Remove the pillars and everything crumbles down._

"Tell me why you are here, and I'll release you."

The clanrat started nodding rapidly. "Of course, most prodigious Juan-swordmaster! You already killed my clawleader yes-yes, but I've overhear secret things. Master Narshift is here for great book in temple of surface goddess and came before the rest of the Skavendom!"

Juan studied the Skaven for any signs of deceit. "Very well! I thank you for your service, little rat." He smiled at the Skaven who relaxed. "Now I shall release you from your sin! The sin of existence!" The ratman only managed to widen his eyes before he was pierced through the heart.

 _We've survived Pirates, Dark elves, and the undead_ _! You vermin scum are nothing compared to that! Myrmidia's tome of wisdom will NEVER fall into heathen control!_ He spat on the dead ratman and ran towards the archecclesiatium, not noticing a black-clad watcher from above.

It was impossible to live in Estalia and not know of the magnificent archecclesiatium of the cult of Myrmidia. Every day, pilgrims from all over the world traveled to the massive temple, hoping to catch a peek of the holy book written by goddess Myrmidia herself when she walked among man. The book's value was said to number at amounts fit for buying kingdoms and thus was constantly coveted by anyone who did not fear Myrmidia wrath. Which meant everything from the simple arrogant pickpocket, to the Celestial Dragon Emperor of Cathay himself. The reason why it was still in Magritta after 2000 years was because of the unfathomable amount of safeguarding around it.

Four powerful barracks surrounded the archecclesiatium. Each dedicated to a powerful military force in Estalia. Namely, the Knights of the Righteous Spear; the Knights of the Blazing Sun; the Sisters of Fury; and lastly the feared army of the Inquisition, the Black Order. Should the threat come from the air, then the master marksmen of the King's Guard and a number of sanctioned Magi would deal with it from the terracotta rooftops.

Juan would have laughed at the thought of any army trying to steal the book of Wisdom, but the Skaven had not come as any normal army. No, they had attacked by using gruesome mechanical contraptions that drilled out of the ground and exploded in green fire. Afterward hundreds of Skaven rushed out of the newly made tunnels. He himself had just been in the local tavern with the ship crew from Lustria when the tavern doors exploded inwards and ratmen poured in. Luckily there is nothing more violent than angry marines and an even angrier Diestro and they were quickly dealt with. _I hope the men are alright, I did give them free rein to go and find their loved one._ He sliced a Skaven in half that jumped down from above. _So this attack on the city is just to cause chaos while the mastermind steals the book before the main force of Skaven arrives! Clever rats I must say, but you miscalculated something!_ A fanatical grin showed on the duelist's face. _You've angered Myrmidia, and now she has sent me to bring retribution!_ Suddenly a stormvermin with a halberd appeared out of an alleyway.

 _Or not!_

He threw away his rapier and dive rolled forward, barely missing decapitation from the halberd swing. Instincts took over and he continued the roll back on his feet and saw three halberd-wielding stormvermin. "Master Nashift says that you manthings have great-sharp weapons, but we will look later-after we eat-kill you." The gravelly voice came from the Skaven in the middle, and Juan gathered that this was probably the leader of the three armored rats.

"So you're after some Estalian steel? Can't say I blame you, seeing how terrible your weaponry is. Anyhow, that was a fast cleave you did, I almost lost my hea—?" A beautiful bisected feather drifted through the air before landing on the ground. Instantly his hand shot up to his feathered cavalier hat only to find the feather in half. "No! That was a rare Thunderbird feather I got from my adventures into Lustria!" He pulled his hat down his eyes started stamping the ground in temper tantrum.

The stormvermin started giving a massive toothy laugh, extremely pleased with the surface dweller's suffering. "You manthings with your useless things! How could a hat be use—!" Two booming shots shattered the joyful mood, and the Skaven leader opened his eyes to see two smoking pistols in the hands of the now blinded Diestro. He looked to his sides, only to see his fellow stormvermin crumbled over dead, shot through the mouth.

" _Useless things_?" The Diestro used one of his still smoking guns to push up the side of his hat and gave a one-eyed glare. "Perhaps others do, but I did not stay alive for so long by wearing useless things."

"I'LL KILL-EAT YOUR STILL BEATING HEART, MANTHING!" The infuriated ratman roared in anger and charged.

Juan holstered his pistols, pulled out his main gauche dagger and countercharged. "What you laughed at! Will be your undoing!" He then threw his hat in the face of the Skaven, blinding him, before stabbing through the hat into the unarmored mouth of the stormvermin.

"Glgh!?" The black ratman fell down with the hat lodged on firmly by the dagger.

"I've cut your lingual veins, you will experience a slow and painful death drowning in your own blood." The Diestro went over and picked up his rapier before returning to the drowning stormvermin. "But you did manage to cut my prized feather, so I'll reward you with a quick death and my hat." He stabbed the Skaven through its brain, killing it instantly.

Juan strode over to the rats that got shot, turned them over, and nodded with a smile; the bullets had penetrated their helmets and left big see-through holes in their heads. _Now, this might just be the shabbiness of their metalwork, but I think these Skeggi cartridges give a bit of an extra oomph to_ _my conquistador pistols! Even though the priest warned me about having them in my hands for more than two minutes..._

He then sat down on the largest of the dead stormvermin and began the dull work of reloading his pistols. _First, a pinch of black powder, like you would salt a kroxigor steak. Then place a thick cotton patch, lubed in troll fat, on top of the muzzle. Now pick up one of the pulsing red bullet_ _s and put it on top of the patch, force it in with the main gauche dagger, and then finish the job with the ramrod. Nice how I got these bullets as a gift from that Skeggi shieldmaiden after I beat her in close combat, but weird how she wouldn't give me her name before I came back to Skeggi and defeated her again?_ He did same with the other gun and made them both fire-able by priming their pans with a pinch of black powder. _One minute and forty seconds, not too shabby for two shots that can penetrate rat armor! Okay, I've squandered enough time._ _Another one of my heroic moments awaits at the archecclesiatium!_

The Swashbuckler dashed through the streets, severing arteries of any ratman that stood in his way, and finally reached Myrmidia's plaza.

 **"HALT DIESTRO! THE ARCHECCLESIATIUM HAS JUST DESTROYED WHAT RATS YOU SEE ON THE GROUND, BUT THEY WILL RETURN IN BIGGER NUMBERS NEXT TIME. PLEASE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY, SEEK ONE OF THE MANY** **SAFE HOUSES LOCATED AROUND THE CITY AS WE CAN'T PROMISE YOUR SURVIVAL HERE!"**

A loud voice boomed through the air, coming from all sides, even from inside his head. He looked around but could see nothing but the plaza and the steps leading up to the arc-shaped entrance into the archecclesiatium. "This is Hidalgo, Diestro, Conquistador Juan de Magritta; former apprentice of Maestro Jerónimo of the geometric-sword-circle! I have dire news and swear my service until every single rat has been purged from Magritta!"

 **"Ah yes, the young Diestro who cleaned up those revolutionaries in the colony. Good to know you're still aliv— SHADOWMANCER CEASE YOUR INFERNAL CHUCKLING AND BREAK THE ILLUSION SPELL ALREADY!"**

"You Estalianz with your long titlez... Very well, a moment please."

 _How dare yo_ u, _Shadowmancer! I was being modest, and you called it a long title!? Why I will make sure you hear my_ _full_ _title when this is over!_

" _ **LASSEN SIE DEN DUNKEL!**_ "

In an instant, a whole army of black watchmen appeared out of nothing, and it hit Juan that two of them had their halberds a millimeter away from his neck.

"Alberto! Fernando! Let the youth pass, I do not see any taint of heresy or lies in his soul."

The black armored knights pulled back their halberds and turned sideways to give entrance. "YES, GRAND INQUISITOR DE HOJEDA!"

Juan felt a chill go through his spine, Estalia may be a continent divided between kingdoms, republics, and city-states, but all knew and feared The Holy Inquisition. If an accusation by a single Inquisitor could have you burning on a stake, then what could the leader of the Inquisition do?

He moved forward to the steps leading up to the arch-entrance, while the black knights watched him like hawks through the slits of their helmets, there under the arch was Grand Inquisitor De Hojeda himself; a fifty-year-old man with an imposing posture and cloaked in sacred armor. This was the man that had burned down an entire village for unsanctioned witchcraft, the exact same man that was now looking at him with eyes that had seen things no man should see. Next to the Grand Inquisitor was what he assumed to be the arrogant Shadowmancer who were covered in gray robes that left only his piercing grey eyes free.

Juan gave a deep respectful bow to the Inquisitor and kept it until his Superior gave permission to speak. "Diestro Juan de Magritta newly dubbed noble by His Majesty Felipe III, after his heroic adventures in Lustria and valiant removal of three prominent traitors in the colonies. A firm believer in the cult of Myrmidia and renowned member of the loyalist faction in Lustria. Described as being an idealistic, fanatical, swashbuckler by our more pragmatic inquisitors in the colonies... They are in short calling you a fool, on par with the most reckless of Brettonian questing knights. Tell me, my son, are you a fool?"

He arose and looked straight into the eyes of De Hojeda. "Myrmidia Herself fought, bled and died for a united Estalia. If wanting to die for that ideal makes me a fool, then a fool I am, sir!"

The Grand Inquisitors face lit up with a smile. "A man after my own heart! I knew you wouldn't disappoint, after all, it was by my command you were spared the stake for carrying bewitched bullets, a gift from the Jarl's daughter we know! But I must commend you for taking the bullets directly to the priest afterward. Most men of lesser faith would be... 'Afraid' to confess their possession... But you care more about your soul than your bodily shell! Now, tell me your report!"

The Diestro looked down with wonder to his bullet pouch, but the Grand Inquisitor had given permission to use them, so they would be used as intended. "Señor, Grand Inquisitor De Hojeda, one of the clanrats says that the reason why they are here is that a 'Master Narshift' want to steal the book of wisdom before the main army of the Skaven attacks. I theorize the city is flooded with enemies so weak that even my grandmother could kill three with ease, not to conquer the city, but to serve as a distraction so Narshift could focus his elite force on the temple."

The Inquisitor's smile disappeared and he turned to the Shadowmancer that had been following the discussion with keen eyes. "Seeker of Ulgu, you said you were here because you received the same vision from Morr as I did. Now with the information, the Diestro has brought we can be certain of its validity." He snapped his finger and all watchmen turned to him. "I want six watchmen to take the secret tunnels in the archecclesiatium and spread this to priority A-members of Magritta: We rally in Myrmidia's plaza for our counterattack!" De Hojeda then pointed at six black watchmen, who made a swift salute and rushed into the temple.

The Shadowmancer took a deep breath and closed his eyes in thought. "Yes, Grand Inquisitor I would agree that is the case... Shall I commence the dimension transfer on the book now?"

De Hojeda sighed and pulled out the book from his pouch. "Very well, you have the permission to transfer the holy book to a safe dimension until these rats have been purged, but are you sure it must be here under the arch?"

The Shadowmancer nodded. "It must be here. There is a giant vortex of Ulgu wind right above this arch, which will drastically shorten the time it will take for me to complete the ritua—!?" A thousand-tongued war cry shattered the tranquility, and Skaven appeared from everywhere but the temple entrance.

"Dammed Skaven! Okay, Shadowmancer do your thing!" The grand inquisitor threw the book over to the Shadowmancer who stopped it in midair by grey magic. **"Black watchmen do not let one Skaven pass up the steps alive! Diestro you stay here and make sure the Shadowmancer completes the ritual! Cut down any rabble that gets trough!** "

The black watchmen formed a circle of steel around the steps, while those behind the line readied their pistols and took aim. De Hojeda eyes lit up with holy light. " **THE ONLY FREE MAN!** " An ancient Estalian battle cry sounded out from the Inquisitor, a cry that every Estalian knew the answer to.

"IS THE MAN WITHOUT FEAR!"

Juan heard the deafening boom of pistols firing and watched with delight the front of the Skaven horde get moved down like wheat in front of a scythe. The Shadowmancer was fully concentrated on the book in midair, and a pillar of grey magic started appearing around it. Meanwhile, the Inquisitor was channeling his wrath into soul-lightning that spewed from his hand, annihilating any ratman caught in it. Suddenly a smoke bomb erupted in the clash between man and Skaven.

 **"Smokeleap yes-yes!** "

A black blur erupted from the smoke cloud, spinning rapidly and cutting down three watchmen from above.

Juan frowned and unsheathed his rapier. "Another assassin to notch on my belt! FACE ME, COWARD!" He rushed the black-clothed Skaven that was charging up the stairs. The Skaven threw throwing stars, but his left hand had already pulled off his side cloak to bash away the incoming projectiles. The Skaven pulled out three daggers, one in each hand, and the last held by its tail. They were within melee range and the assassin jumped up and attacked, only for Juan to smash away the daggers with his rapier and throw the cloak around the head of the ratman.

"GOT YOU!" He slammed the Skaven down to the ground and stabbed it through the head, sidestepping an incoming swipe from the tail dagger. _Had I been slower then you would have had me, assassin._ The young Diestro looked around the battlefield, Señor De Hojeda was still throwing soul lighting over the heads of the black watchmen, while they themselves were holding the line firmly. It also looked like the ritual was soon ready to transport the book with all the crackling magic surrounding it. Juan smirked and went back up the stairs. _Seems like this was all the scum h—!?_ A bolt of pure warp lighting flew through Skaven and human alike, annihilating everything it phased through. From the far end of the plaza, came a wheel-shaped machine rushing out, crushing any Skaven unlucky enough to be in its path.

He pulled out his pistols, took a deep breath and took aim. _Focus, what is its mathematical weakness? It has a warpstone cannon in the front while having one warpstone on each side to give it… Balance!_

He fired both pistols at the warpstone on the left side of the Doomwheel, making it spin rapidly through the Skaven in the plaza. A brown blur was thrown out of it before the machine exploded in the center of the Skaven Horde. The watchmen gave a loud cheer and with renewed vigor starting cutting down the bewildered Skaven by the dozen.

"Master Narshift is dead! SCURRY AWAY!" The vermin turned their tails and ran.

"FOR MYRMIDIA!"

Only to find their escape cut off by Estalian reinforcement.

Estalian Templar knights cavalry charged into flanks of the fleeing Skaven. Renowned Diestros and their apprentices rushed past the now engaged knights and cut down the Skaven trying to flank them. Holy prayers from the priestesses of Myrmidia filled the plaza causing every Estalian to fight as possessed. The Skaven that did manage to make it down the streets, screamed in despair when they saw the rows of elite Estalian pikemen waiting for them.

Juan sheathed his pistols and went up the steps to the now laughing Grand Inquisitor. "Myrmidia's dream, my boy, that was an amazing display of skill! I dare say that you might even surpass the Diestro Extraordinario in the future!"

The young Diestro felt his heart swell up with pride and gave another bow. "Señor, Grand Inquisitor De Hojeda. I am but another student of the dueling arts, but if your grace finds me worthy of one day challenging the Grand-master himself, then I will do my best to live up to your expectations!"

De Hojeda nodded in approval. "Humble to superiors, yet ambitious in life... The peak of Estalian ideals! Rise my son and watch the slaughter. Once the vermin have been purged from the city, then you and I will speak about your future."

Juan arose feeling acclaimed and turned around to see the battlefield.

The Skaven were perfectly encircled in the plaza, and it looked like it was only a matter of minutes before they were all cut down. "STOP. STEPPING. ON. ME! I'M NOT DEAD, YEEEEEET!" A bubble of vaporizing green energy spewed forth from the mass of Skaven, instantly making them into ash, and revealed the monstrosity below. A half-Skaven, half-machine stepped up from the crater and the Estalians fired everything they had against it, but the bubble of green energy re-shimmered into existence and absorbed everything. "HOW COULD MY PERFECT PLAN-TACTIC FAIL!? I AM NARSHIFT! WARLOCK ENGINEER OF CLAN SKRYRE! DAMN-CURSE YOU, MANTHINGS! MAY THE HORNED RAT BREED YOUR SLAVE GODDESS!" The Skaven stuffed its furred hands into its pockets and revealed hands filled to the brim with Warpstone, while the barrage from the Estalians increased tenfold after the blasphemous remark. "If I not get the book…" The mad Skaven began to devour the Warpstone, and warp energy crackled and flared around the monster; so much so that even its red eyes shifted into a blazing green. **"THEN NO ONE WILL!"** The Warlock threw his arms forward and unleashed a massive beam of warp lighting at the floating book.

Juan rushed forward, ignoring the voice yelling at him to stop. _We will be humiliated if Myrmidia's sacred book of wisdom is destroyed by a mere rat!_

He jumped in front of the incoming beam with a small accepting smile. _I will not allow that._ Warp lightning hit him square in the chest and time slowed down to a snail's pace, and he felt nothing but the feeling of flying through the air.

The sides of the arch entrance closed in around him. _I die in the arch entrance of the Archecclesiatium, without even picking my noble name..._

A holy bolt exploded the head of the warlock, fired by an enraged Grand Inquisitor De Hojeda.

Juan looked up at the ceiling of the arch and spotted a massive blood-red banner adorned with a golden eagle. _Perhaps it's not such a bad place to die... After all, I'm dying in the arch that carries Myrmidia's_ _dream: the flag of a united Estalia... The same dream I chose so many years ago…_ _Yes, the goddess has blessed me…_ _I know what my noble name will be._

He slammed through the pillar of grey magic and hit the book of wisdom.

" ** _I shall be Arc—_** "

A soul was torn asunder and reality ripped apart.

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^ **Vale airspace, airship en route to Beacon Academy^**

Yang was pissed, sure her little sister Ruby was going to Beacon with her, but that meant nothing compared to the anger she felt, by having fresh puke in her hair from the boy laying in the middle of the airship. The boy in question suddenly jerked around and then groggily began to rise up, making the spectators gasp in shock over the sheer grit. _I was certain I knocked him out? He must be made out of tougher stuff than I thought... Perfect! Now I can continue my beat down without holding back!_ She cracked her knuckles and walked over to the idiot who was currently holding his head.

"Ow, my head… Reminds me of that time I mistook that angry skeggi shieldmaiden for a guy… Wait, I'm on unsteady ground? Did I get wasted on Bordeleaux vine on the ship and dream everything up?"

Yang threw a semblance powered right hook at the babbling blond, only for the boy to turn his head and pass her by spinning against her extended arm. She turned around with a shocked expression and saw the blond boy looking at her with deadly blue eyes. Then in an instant, the eyes changed and became filled with confusing and he turned his head around bewildered, before finally focusing his full attention back on her. The blond boy's eyes studied her like a sculptor would study a block of marble, and a roguish smirk appeared on his face towards her. _Did I just feel a tingle in my spine? Wake up girl, he puked in your hair!_ She began to doubt whether she should break his face, as it did have a nice smile.

"Now now don't be shy, Señorita." The confident taunt sounded out from the dexterous boy who waved at her to come to him.

 _Never mind!_ Yang's red eyes flared up, and she rushed him with a cross-punch intend to finish the job. Her target merely pulled up his left arm and swiped it in the air, ending it with a snap of his fingers. She followed the snapping fingers for a split second, only for the boy to rip out his sword and slam the flat side into her extended arm. _Wha—!?_ She didn't get to finish the thought, as she was shoved around by her now exposed shoulder so her back hit the chest of the tall blond. Yang felt two things: his breath on her earlobe and his sword on her throat.

"One should give their names before dancing together, Senori—"

A gentle press pushed her away and she felt relieved to be free again, but also a tiny bit disappointed that he didn't finish what he whispered in her ear. "What do you think you're doing!" She spun around to pounce again, only to see the boy's hand pulled up in the universal sign for hold. Naturally, this wouldn't have stopped her, but the handsome blond had an extraordinarily serious face. The boy then grabbed his hoodie and slashed a piece free off it making a bit of his abdomen visible, to the complete shock of her and the jaw-dropped spectators.

He sheathed his blade and strode towards her. "D-Don't come near me weirdo!" She threw a jab, which he easily grabbed and pulled her into a one-armed hug, and then began to gently clean the vomit from her hair with his cut cloth.

 _He is holding me so differently than before. This feels firm and gentle, while the one before was savage and controlling, and how come I don't feel angry that he is cleaning my hair?_ She looked up to his dark blue eyes, only to find them hunting furiously for someone around the ship. _He didn't know it was him!?_ She was about to open her mouth, but the boy noticed she was looking up at him and gave her the warmest smile imaginable. Yang quickly lowered her face into his chest to hide the small blush that had appeared on her face. His hand touched her chin and lifted her face up to stare into his eyes that reminded her of the sea around Patch.

"This is the best I can do, for now, my little sunflower. Do you still wish to continue our duel?"

Yang was no longer pissed, this was indeed the best day ever.

She shook her head to let him know that the fighting was over, and the blond boy released her and stepped back. _I should have said yes!_ She felt a tiny pout break free.

"So, do such a beauty as yourself have a name? Or should I continue calling you _'my little sunflower'_ from now on?" The confident-cheeky nature had returned to the swordsman if the wink he was given her was anything to go by.

 _Oh, you wanna continue our duel in that way_ _!_ She went back to her normal self. "I guess you call every girl you meet for 'sunflower' eh, Casanova?"

The swordsman chuckled. "No, I only call it to them that reminds me of the great sunflower fields of Estalia, which not many do. Oh, and I must thank you for nicknaming me after the Great dueling philosopher Casanova!"

Yang put on a confident smile to hide her confusion. _Estalia? Dueling philosopher? Who is this guy!?_ She chuckled awkwardly and reached out to give him a handshake. "My name is Yang Xiao Long. What's yours, Handsome?"

The boy closed his eyes in thought and started mumbling. "I see… This must be Cathay that Wu talked endlessly about… But how can I understand her?… No matter." He then bowed down, took her hand and kissed it, before looking up at her blushing face with a smile. "I am Juan Arc, master duelist and noble of Estalia."

* * *

 **Salutations reader!**

I've decided to try my hand at some fanfiction, and this is my first story of the kind. Hope it wasn't too terrible a read, well if you have any critic, or wanna comment on something then please, feel free to write them! Or don't, and go and spend your time doing something wonderful! It's completely up to you, no pressure!

 **So what is gonna happened in the story?**

Well, I can't reveal the plot, but I can tell you that there will be **no** more OC characters from the Warhammer world in this story, other than minor subjects or flashbacks. I'm probably gonna make some **minor** OC's for RWBY now that the universe has been altered. But those OC's should be minor characters who will be one time only (like Scarlet David and Sage Ayana, damn you RT!) unless they actually become popular.

 **Who's is Arc?**

Well, that is the big question if you know your RWBY lore and Warhammer lore you might crack an interesting theory. But you will find out eventually what the heck is going on, I promise. And if you're wondering what kind of rapier stance he was having, it was the Spanish fencing school of _Destreza_ or verdadera destreza if you speak Spanish. Gonna be a fun challenge to write body posture and footwork.

 **Who's the main girl?**

Well, I have no idea, the problem with RWBY is that it's so hard to pick best girl! So I was just thinking of trying to write the story while keeping the girls in their character (As best as I can.) and see where it leads us. Heck, I might even drop a voting if this story gets more than 5 readers! (Just please don't vote for someone like Blake's mom lol)

 **What is Warhammer fantasy?**

Well if I had to write everything down these notes would be longer than the story, and we can't have that. But to sum it up it's a fantasy world with arrogant elves, war loving orks, Gold loving dwarfs and humans. Plus some of the most horrible evil deities I can think off. If you have never heard about Warhammer but are still reading this story, then please fret not. I will try and make a broader picture the Warhammer world as the story goes by.

 **What is this "Estalia?"**

Estalia is what would be a stereotype of our Renaissance Spain if Spain was split into a bunch of small kingdoms and the stereotypes around Spaniards were upped to about 1100% Filled to the brim with duelists, don Juan's, Inquisitors etc.

If this sounds interesting to you, then I would highly recommend you to read the amazing free fan edition book of Estalia by Mathias Eliasson called: Warhammer Estalia 9th Edition.

Otherwise no worries, ill sum it up in the story and add my own lore where the holes are.

 **What is RWBY?**

I will be explaining the world as the story goes by, so have no worries if this is your first time. I would recommend you to watch the series yourself to not get spoiled to hard in this story.

 **Why did you write this?**

Well I got interested in RWBY ones I heard that BlazBlue: Cross Tag battle would include them, Then twitch convivial made an RWBY marathon and it hooked me after making it to volume 3. (Thanks to the community for saying the animation got better, you weren't lying!)

I was also playing Warhammer total war at the time and well, the story just formed itself in my head. But it was also to get a better understanding of how authors feel when writing and also to help my English grammar. Now you've probably guessed that English ain't my first language, and if not then that's good! It means I'm not completely horrible haha. Back to the point, I will do my best to make this an enjoyable story.

 **Till next time.**

 **-Savage Theron**


	2. Chapter 2

_"You know, I like you human, you seem to survive every single one of my attempts to kill you. Always adapting, always improving. You really help me keep my edge around my competition back in Clar Karond, and I wanted to thank you for that. Have a War Hydra."—_ Aaelaith Arkaneth, Corsair Captain and greatest rival to Juan, in a ruined temple in Lustria.

* * *

A roar of mocking laughter shattered the silence on the deck, and Juan, who was still in the middle of the noble bow, lifted a confused eyebrow. _What's the matter with them? I merely greeted señorita Yang as any proper Estalian would do._ He certainly didn't miss how she was getting angrier by the second. They _dare disrespect a señorita in the presence of a Diestro!?_ He stood up to his full height with a glare and towered over the rest with presence alone. "Should you continue to mock Miss Xiao Long, then I am honor bound, to personally see to it, that the guts of the guilty are spilled by my hand!" The statement rang out, not like a threat, but as a fact. Immediate silence followed and everyone took a step back, except a young girl with a black blouse-skirt combo who gawked at them. _She's dressed like a Sylvanian nobl—_ In a blink of an eye, the girl was gone, leaving only a cloud of rose petals in her place.

"Yang, are you okay!? Did he do something to you!?"

Juan threw his head to the new voice, shocked to find the girl between him and Yang. _Teleportation!? No, I felt the airwaves so she must have dashed! But what speed... Not even that Corsair Lord, who almost ended my life, moved this fast! Who is this girl!?_

Yang's anger disappeared into a warm smile aimed at the fast girl. "Hey, Lil' Sis! May I introduce you to..." The older sister placed an arm around the girl and turned her to face him. "Juan Arc! He's a noble from a place called Estalia and no worries; he just surprised me, that's all!"

Innocent silver eyes stared back at him, filled with awkwardness and a bit of shyness. "Um... Hello Juan Arc. I am Ruby Rose, but you can just call me Ruby."

He noticed how she kept her hands away from him, and the adorableness of the act reminded him of the orphans in New Magritta; which calmed his nerves and brought an honest smile to his face. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ruby. Since you have given me permission to call you by name, you may, in turn, call me by mine."

Ruby smiled stiffly and nodded, before turning to her sister. "Yang, are you sure you're okay? You still have bits of puke in your hair, and the guy who did it is still standing inf—hmpf?"

A hand from Yang silenced whatever Ruby was trying to say. "Yeah, the guy who did it ran away and it's certainly not Juan, because he is a gentleman who would never puke into the hair of a girl!"

The Diestro's lit up in realization. "You were angered because a swine dared taint your beautiful hair, and thus became blinded by rage!"

Ruby pulled the hand away. "She wasn't blinded by rage! It was y—hmpf!?"

Once again Yang's hand silenced Ruby. "Yes, it was exactly what happened! In fact, he took a parachute and jumped out of the airship. I was just so angry and you looked like the perfect guy to get some... _Stress relief_ with _._ " She winked at the Diestro, who chuckled and placed his arms together.

"Well, then I hope this señorita is more than relieved of her stress. Rest assured that if I ever find the filth who did it. I'll teach him a lesson!"

"That's great! I think... Say, Juan, We really need to have a girls talk, so we'll catch up later!" She lifted Ruby up in one arm and hurried away.

The Diestro finally had some solitude to muse over the situation. _These Cathayans dresses strangely... Is there no public consensus on what is fashionable in this place? Surely they must be a divided people. After all, Yang's attire resembles the newly converted Amazonians in New Magritta, while her little sister Ruby dresses akin to the vampire nobility of Sylvania. Overall, from these facts, it's safe to assum—_ A single word from the busty blonde earlier, caused the Estalian to freeze up. _AIRSHIP!? No, it can't be! It's probably just what the Cathayans calls their massive ships!_

Juan rushed to the nearest window. _Drunken Priest of Morr! We are flying in the air!? How!? When!? Wait a second..._ A reflection showed itself in the polished window.

 _The same blue eyes and blonde messy hair as always, but why am I wearing armor!? Preposterous! Only a Diestro that can't dodge wears armor!_ He grabbed his chest piece and lifted it up, only to immediately freeze. On his strange garment was a childish, yet strangely familiar emblem of a bunny's face, and he slammed the chest piece back down before anyone noticed. _I forgot... The only time a Diestro wears armor is to hide something shameful, whether that be his skill or his bad taste in clothing. S_ omething did not feel right when his fingers grabbed the armor, so he poked his stomach. _I've lost muscle? Annoying, but not a catastrophe. My duel earlier shows that my footwork is still up to standards, but what is this headache I'm having?... It feels like I've been headbutted by an ogre... By Myrmidia's holy name what is going on!?_

He rested his hurting head on the window and closed his eyes. _I was fitter when I departed from Lustria, which means I didn't get wasted on the ship. Good to know, as it would have been beneath me to lose self-control. Yet, that would mean that everything did in fact happen!_ Torrents of anger swirled at the thought of the ratmen treading within the Capital. _I can be_ _assured_ _that my countrymen cleaned up the vermin infestation for good, but that still does not explain how I ended up here!_ The muscularly diminished Diestro racked his brains for what could possibly have happened... _I get it now._ He opened his eyes and saw crystal clear water far below him, that reminded him of the great western sea. _I lost my mind when I slammed into the pillar of grey magic. It's the only explanation. I must have gone mad and ran away to Cathay._ Calm acceptance morphed into great zeal. _But Myrmidia had Shallya heal my broken mind! Praise be to you, Myrmidia! I understand why you sent me here. It was all part of the gods plan to give me a true challenge!_ All previous signs of doubts disappeared, leaving only a confident smile on the boy's face. _I will forge a new chapter in my heroic tale, and end it with the skills needed to take the title of Diestro Extraordinario! Only then will I make my glorious return back to Estalia!_

* * *

Ruby was confused. Sure her sister had always had a thing for confident guys, but no guy could ever puke on her blonde hair and then walk away with their bones still intact.

"Did you see that scrawny blond? How can a guy be so scary, looking like that!?" Said a whispering student a bit too loudly.

A sigh tried to escape her closed lips. Students were still furiously whispering about the guy who kissed her sister on the hand. Yes, the same hand, connected to the same arm, that where currently lifting her through the crowd. At long last, her sister pulled her to a private enough area and let her go. Instantly she spun around to face her sister. "What happened back there!? And why did you keep me from telling him!?"

Lilac colored eyes glared back. "I told you, it wasn't him."

"What do you mean it wasn't him!? Look, you still have puke in your hair!" She pointed at a piece of dry puke that the boy had missed.

"Oh man, I can't wait for this ship to land, so I can find a shower!"

"Yang, he puked in your hair! You send the hairdresser to the hospital for taking off two centimeters more than you asked!"

"Hey, that bitch wanted to ruin my hair! C'mon sis, you were there, you saw the look she gave me, but Juan didn't do it, I'm sure of it, those eyes had nothing but warmth. I don't know what my punch did, but it changed him."

A gasp escaped her. "Yang, are you saying you hit him so hard, he woke up with a split personality!?"

Her older sister played nervously with her hair and looked out of a nearby window. "Maybe... I'm not sure I was pretty pissed so I might have hit him a bit too hard... Or maybe... I returned him to his original badass self!"

"Um, what?"

"Yeah! You saw how confused he was after getting hit! I probably woke the real Juan Arc up from his dorky split personality!" Stars were showing in Yang's eyes at the prospect of a remake of Princess kisses the frog: Princess punches dork and gets a prince.

Ruby was speechless, but even she began to hope this was the case and wondered if she should call the hospital. Suddenly a quiet mocking laughter interrupted her. She tried to focus on it, and as she listened closer, she could make out something familiar. It was from one of the cartoons she watched as a kid. Back then she believed that cartoon characters could actually respond to her when they asked the audience to carry out actions, like counting or answering numbers.

 _I was so silly, but why am I thinking about that no—_

 _["Mr. Xiao Long, we regret to inform you that your wife has passed away"_

 _Oh no._

 _"We are sorry, but the body was never found. All that could be found in a 5-kilometer radius of where we lost contact, was a shredded cloak that is confirmed to belong to the late Summer Rose_

 _No, not again, I don't want to remember it._

 _"B-but mommy promised to come back! She said she would play with me and Yang and make cookies and read us bedtime stories and...and…."_

 _It was a long time ago! I'm over it!._

 _Tears streamed down her face, yet the cartoon characters only laughed harder. "SHUT UP! IT'S NOT FUNNY! MY MOTHER IS DEAD! WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING AT ME!?"]_

She shook her head and changed her train of thought "Well even if that is the case, it still not explain how you let him kiss your hand _senorita_ Yang or whatever he called you."

Her sister shrugged. "I didn't expect him to bow down and kiss my hand like a gallant knight. Besides..." She knew she wouldn't like what Yang was about to say because her sister had her infamous smirk. "He could have kissed further up, and I wouldn't have minded."

"YANG!" She did not want to imagine her big sister making out with some boy, especially not when the boys puke was still in her hair.

"Oh relax sis. Anyway, we're cool, so don't tell him the truth. It might make him go back to dork mode and I can't have that, okay?"

Ruby couldn't believe what was going on. "Okay, I get it. But why are you interested in a guy like Juan. I mean he stared at you like all guys do?"

A flinch on Yang's face told her that her sister had not expected that. "...Yes, Juan did look at my body like most guys do..." She looked out of the window with a somber face, before a small honest smile broke free. "But unlike them, Juan merely glanced my body... It's hard to explain but all his focus was on my eyes, and my eyes alone."

The smile Yang had told her everything she needed to know. "I think I understand why you didn't send him to the hospital... Hey sis?" She felt her cheeks grow a bit warmer and placed her index fingers together. "You think he will become my friend as well?"

"Of course he will! Aren't you my adorable little sister?"

 **"Attention all students! This is the Captain speaking. We will be landing soon at Beacon Academy so please make your way to the gate, thank you!"**

Ruby smiled and nodded to her sister. This was gonna be four interesting years.

* * *

A secluded blond boy stared curiously at the small frame above the metal gate. _I can read this? But it looks nothing compared to Estalian writing? Then how do I_ _know these 'letters' spell exit?_ He shrugged his shoulders and looked behind him with a scorn, as the other passengers still stayed away from him. _Those that find strength in numbers, always tremble when the majority tremble, pathetic._ Looking at the passengers more closely it hit him that they had something in common. _All my age and not only that. There seem to people from all over the world. Have the Cathayan expanded their trade network so thoroughly? Still._ _No Estalian would laugh at such a tame greeting for a beautiful lady, and a Tilean would be cowardly enough to know to keep his mouth shut around a Diestro. So neither are on this ship._ With these thoughts in mind did he decide to make things right again. Afterall, they were unlikely educated in high Estalian civility, thus he gave them a friendly smile much to their confusion.

"Heya handsome!"

The crowd separated, and a familiar blonde girl with her little sister emerged. He decided a more discreet greeting would do and gave a small bow with his hand placed over his heart. "Miss Yang and Miss Ruby, what a pleasant surprise. At long last, we have reached our destination, excited?"

Ruby nodded with passion. "Of course! Beacon Academy is the highest rated huntsman academy in the world! Only the best of the best get entrance into it!"

He lifted a confused eyebrow. "Beacon Aca—" The door unsealed and Juan was hit by a peculiar sight. _I know Wu told me the mountains of Cathay flowed with iron but making a gangplank, not out of wood, but steel is a bit too much._ He shook his head and moved forward on the gangplank. _Whoever built this place, built to impress… Wait, is that architecture from back home I see in the distance? Fascinating, must be some kind of eccentric noble who has a thing fo— BY MYRMIDIA!_ His eyes widened to their fullest when he noticed what the ship he stepped out of looked like. _The airship is made out of steel!? How!? If what the dwarf adventurers say of their home is true, then only the giant forges of Karak Zhufbar could complete a steel airship like this! Not that they would, as even the most radical of Dwarfs would never make such a ship with their asinine hatred of progress, which means that this was made by Man's hand!_ The shock in his eyes soon gave way to a calculative look, as gears turned in his head on how to use this towards his great Estalian ambition. _If I could buy this and bring it back, then our Kingdom's power would be unmatched in the region!_ He stepped onto the platform with a grin, that only grew as he noticed more variants of airships flying in the air.

Yang walked up to him with a smirk. "Yo handsome, what's making you so cheery? Finally realized how lucky you are walking with the most beautiful sisters in the school?"

"Yeah you looked confused, then shocked, and now you're grinning like our uncle when he spots expensive booze," said Ruby, as she stepped next to her sister.

His eyes met theirs. "Perhaps I am simply amazed by this place, or maybe it's because I'm surrounded by two girls whose beauty excel the norm. After all, nothing makes a strategist more happy than unexpected events turning out to his favor; and so far _all_ of the events have turned out in my favor." He gave them a small wink, which turned both girls a shade pinker.

Yang laughed and punched his arm with enough force to almost throw him to the ground. "Oh stop it you flirt! Geez, can't you just answer the questions? Well, I gotta run and find a shower, so be a knight and watch over my lil' sis!" And with that, she ran toward what he assumed to be beacon academy.

 _Was that supposed to be a friendly punch!? It was close to making me lose my composure, and why did Miss Yang call me a 'flirt'?_ A single glance at Ruby was all it took to know how shy she had become without her sister. _Suck it up Diestro, there's a señorita that needs reassurance_. He hid his pain and gave her a soft smile. "So your uncle has a taste for refreshments? Is that all there is to him? Tell me about him as we follow the crowd."

Ruby's shyness disappeared, and what he assumed to be her true self, emerged. "Is there!? My uncle Qrow taught me everything about fighting! So now I'm totally awesome when I wield Crescent Rose." She patted a horizontal box on her waist.

Juan scratched his brow. "He taught you how to wield a box?"

She grabbed the box and it expanded itself into a massive red-black scythe. "Crescent Rose is not a Box! He's a high-caliber Sniper Scythe!" Ruby then hugged the weapon and gave him a cute angry pout.

Wonder emerged on the blond's face before it morphed into an inquisitive look akin to a researcher. "So many moving parts... Must be a dread to maintain... Would give every dwarf smith an aneurysm... Wait, Ruby, you said it was a sniper as well? Where does it fire from?" Juan mumbled while scrutinizing her weapon. _Is she wielding a daemon weapon!?_ A frightful thought, but he let it disappear. She probably just really loved her weapon.

Confidence ignited in the younger girl's silver eyes, reminding him of the eyes of master scholars in Estalia. "An admirer of weapons, I see? But, not as good as me if you can't figure out where my dust weapon fires from. Here's the barrel!" She showed the top of the scythe was, in fact, a barrel sticking out.

"Ruby... Is the whole shaft a rifle barrel!?"

"That's exactly what it is!"

He tried to comprehend how that was possible. He knew of fools who put blades and axes on their guns, but a scythe blade on a rifle was insanity. "I must admit you're the first I've met who wields that type of weapon... I can see how you can carry it with the weight being reduced as the shaft is hollow, but what I can't understand is how you can block with it? Wouldn't the weapon break in half as soon as someone hit it?"

Ruby snorted and threw her hand dismissively. "Hah, like I would let anyone scratch my sweetheart! You see Juan, I use the recoil from the sniper to cleave with the scythe." The cape-wearing girl said it like she was explaining that the sky was blue, or that the two moons showed themselves in the night.

"But that will only give you one cleave before you have to reload! Hardly a reliable weapon if you can only cleave once before reloading..."

She pulled out a small rectangular box from the shaft and showed it to him. "That would be the case if we were in ancient times, but my sniper rifle uses SDC approved dust magazines, so I have no problems firing multiple shots in a row." He stared at the mysterious little box, who somehow had managed to solve the dilemma that gunsmiths worldwide were struggling with: a way to fire multiple rounds in succession, yet easily reloadable. It might have been the whole bizarre situation getting to him, as he said the first of many questions a bit too loudly.

"What is 'SDC'?"

A loud gasp was heard from behind. "Excuse me! What did you say!?"

They both turned around and met a glare from something the Diestro had never believed he would see in person. _A Kislevite Ice Maiden!?_ Juan was stunned. He had only heard tales about them from Erengrad merchants and how their beauty was only surpassed by their deathliness with ice magic.

The Ice Maiden walked up to him with a glare. "Are you brain dead? I want to know what rock you've been living under for not having heard about the Schnee Dust Company!"

He studied her closer. She was everything the merchant describe them to be, white as snow colored hair, pale white skin, and light blue eyes that reminded him of the Saurus warlord's head he had mounted above his fireplace. The only thing that confused him where the way she dressed, all white, thigh length dress with a bolero the same color. _Cathay truly is a fascinating place! To think even Ice maidens would be found here! But what is that she carries on her wai—_

"Such beauty!"

The Ice Maiden rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yes I know I'm beautiful, please I've heard that opening at least thirty times."

Ruby went to her side and looked up at him with judgmental eyes. "Yeah Juan you can't flirt with every girl you meet, only chick flick actors can do that."

Juan went forward and took the pale girl's hands into his own. "Such a beautiful rapier! Thank you, my dear Ice Maiden for giving me the honor of beholding such a superb weapon!" Now it was the two girls turn to be stunned, whatever they had thought he would say, it certainly wasn't that.

"Let go of me!" The white-haired girl ripped her hands away and jumped back and created distance, before unsheathing her rapier and pointing it directly at him. "You insolent blond! How dare you grab my hands so brazenly!?"

Ruby placed a closed fist under her chin and nodded approvingly. "I gotta agree. It is a darn fine weapon she has, Juan."

 _An Ice Maiden Diestra!? Praise be to you Myrmidia my joy has no mea—wait..._ Joy turned into boredom. "My dear Ice Maiden, you're not serious about fighting me with _that_ kind of fencing style, are you?"

"You dare!? This is high Atlesian fencing, taught only to the best of the best!"

"My dearest Ice Maiden, there is nothing 'high' about copying that useless Tilean-sword-stabbing they call fencing."

"ENOUGH!"

He noticed how she pulled back slightly and raised her rapier up to her chest. _The charging bull stance? But from this range? She must have some skill to push her forward._

A white glyph appeared under the left-handed girl, and she flew forward like a cannonball.

"JUAN!"

The Diestro held up a reassuring hand as his bored face turned cheeky, and turned his whole body in the course of a quick sidestep, dodging the rapier just in time to see the complete shock on the Ice Maiden's face. He grabbed her free balancing hand and used the heels of his shoes to pivot them around and pulled the Ice Maiden into his arms. _Spin! Spin! Spin! Now for the Tango finale!_ He let his left leg buckle out under him and slammed his right leg forward for stability.

Air slammed into the ground, but not the Ice Maiden as she was kept in place by his arm across her upper spine, safe above the ground. "Wh-Wh-Wh..."

The boy knew a first-time tango dancer when he held one. "I'm honored to have been your first, my little Ice Maiden." A book was dropped from the hands of a nearby girl.

"Wh-Wh-Wh..." Stammered the Ice Maiden with a blush.

A gentle sigh escaped the lips of the now confirmed tango master. "See, this is what I warned you about. The so-called `high style´ of yours, is predictable in the eyes of a professional." He said it a warm smile, to let her know that he saw no fault in her action. "Still, you did offer me a dance with a beauty such as yourself, therefore I shall give you my name." Deep blue eyes met her light blue eyes. "Juan Arc. Short, powerful and Beastmen, feral scum to the last, fear it."

The Ice Maiden's blush turned into a face covering red. "I-I see, It's nice meeting you, Juan Arc. I'm Weiss Sch—"

His hand shot up and grabbed an incoming slap aimed at his face, and blue eyes turned to meet furious amber eyes. "Miss, I only dislike getting slapped _slightly_ more than interrupted, so what's your business with me?" He threw her hand away and pulled Weiss up to her feet.

"How dare you." Standing in front of him was the black-haired girl who had dropped her book earlier. "How can you be so arrogant to say that every one of those 'Beastmen' fears you?"

"It was just smoother to say that than 'a tribe of Beastmen up north somewhere in the Drakwald fears me'. I thought it was quite obvious that not every Beastman fears me... Yet." He fully intended to correct the issue that in this lack of race-wide infamy.

"YET!?"

"The White Fang is filthy degenerates, yes. But to desire, every Faunus fearing you is over the line." Weiss counseled, more than a little bothered by his radical proclamation.

 _Faunus?_

"That's ironic coming from a Schnee," said the black-haired girl with a bow to match.

"What's that implying!?" Exclaimed Weiss.

"Other than what bigots like him call 'Beastmen', fearing for their lives working in your mines!"

He turned to Weiss with a frown. "You use Beastmen as labor force? How? They actively try to destroy any signs of civilization on sight. Hatred for us all is what drives their black, spite-filled hearts. You should just kill them and use prisoners instead."

The emotion reflected in the eyes of the girls changed. One in disgust, the other, deathly.

"You monster..." Snarled the black-haired girl.

Juan placed his hand upon his sword hilt. "I've been called worse."

Both of them tensed up and waited for the other to make the first move.

"ENOUGH!" Ruby dashed between them with her hands spread out and turned to him with wet angry eyes. "How can you be so cruel to the Faunus, Juan?!"

"What are these 'Faunus' you girls keep mentioning!?" He spat out, furious to see such unexplained denial in the silver-eyed girl. Only the widows of those that had died under his command were allowed that look.

Utter confusion spread over their faces before the snarky one with amber eyes raised a hand and pointed behind him. _I have never heard of the term 'Fanus' before, is this something Wu did not mention about Cathay? Bloody monkey leaving me to hang high and dr—_ He turned around and saw a cute brunette with brown rabbit ears. Burning hot fury erupted in him, causing the Faunus to run behind a nearby tree. She then poked the side of her face out to see what he would do next. "How... Dare... You." The Diestro could barely get the words out through his clenched teeth. Instantly he spun around and pointed his now unsheathed blade directly at the black haired girl. "Compare the Animal-men to Beastmen! Does that girl behind me look like an enemy of order? She is not! By insulting the animal-men so barbarously, you also insult my Monkey-man friend, nay, sworn brother, Wu-Gon-Ju! My soul brother in glory and grief in the times we fought together! I've had men whipped for lesser insults than this... Unsheathe your weapon this instant so I can teach you a lesson in Estalian Honor!"

"Y-You have a Faunus soul brother?" The now shocked black haired girl said the question that everyone wanted to know.

Juan let a growl out. " Yes, I have what you call a 'Faunus soul brother', and no he's not one those disgusting red-eyed, black furred Beastme—"

"GRIMM!" All three girls exclaimed at the same time.

"Argh!" He flinched and dropped his weapon, only for Ruby to rush-hug him, throwing them both to the ground.

"I knew you weren't a bad guy!"

Whatever anger he had disappeared once he looked into Ruby's eyes. The sheer glow of the happiness in them was unmeasurable, he laughed and gave her a friendly hair ruffle. "Of course I'm not a bad guy, Ruby! But could you please let me stand up?"

"Yeah give him some space," said Weiss with a frown.

"Eep!" Ruby realized the situation and rushed up. "I'm sorry!"

He arose with a gentle smile aimed at the now embarrassed cape-wearing girl. "Think nothing of it, Ruby. As for you..." He turned to the black haired girl with the same smile. "A simple misunderstanding of terminology wouldn't you agree, Miss?"

"Blake."

"Hm?"

"My name is Blake, and yes I agree." A tiny smile was present on the girl named Blake.

Juan's smile grew. "It might not have been the best first meeting, but I do hope we can make up for it. I am Juan Arc, slayer of Beastmen, _not_ _of_ _animal-men_. Now, would you now excuse me, an apology is due, and I will not let my honor be tarnished by debt." The Diestro turned to the tree where the shy Faunus was poking her head out, and walked over to her with confident strides, foregoing even his sword on the ground. After a small walk, he finally reached her and bowed down to one knee with downcast eyes. "I sincerely apologize for my accidental implication of terrorizing your people, if I could reliably get it to you in time, I would give you a portion of my Lustrian gold as compensation. But as it is now my apology will have to suffice until I can find a way to make things up to you, this I swear on my noble name of Arc!"

The Faunus stepped out with a relieved look. "Th-Thank you, Mr. Arc."

He pulled himself up and turned to leave, only to feel a gentle pull on his sleeve. He looked over his shoulder and saw a pale hand belonging to the bunny girl. "I-I'm Velvet. Velvet Scarlatina."

The chivalrous fencer faced her with a roguish smirk. "It's a pleasure to meet you Velvet. I take it you overheard my declaration before, and therefore know my name?"

Velvet played with her brown hair and looked away. "Y-Yes I did, It was quite an amazing speech. You're not like most humans..."

"Of course not! I am a Diestro! That means I'm the best of the best, and that means being the most civilized as well! We used to include most handsome, but we had to scrap it due to differences in opinion nearly starting a kingdom-wide riot."

The shy brunette broke into a giggle. "Seriously, you fought over something as simple as who's the most handsome?"

Juan crossed his arms and put on his best faux-offended face "I beg your pardon? The title of most handsome Diestro is one that is _still_ heavily contested. Though the wounds that result from the duels over this matter can cause scars that utterly ruin any aesthetic, no hats or clothes ever seeming to match after that."

Velvet was now holding her stomach to contain her laughter. "Is it really that important where you come from?"

"It is VERY important in Estalia, along with the stylishness of your hat, in regards to one's social status. They must be managed with care to complement one another in a fine blend!"

Her ears turned inquisitive toward him. "Estalia? I haven't heard about that place before, but I would love to know about it!... I-If you wanna talk about it?"

The Diestro gave a hearty laugh. "Certainly, however, it would only be fair if you then told me about yourself and the Faunus."

Velvet returned the gesture with a smile to match his own. "Absolutely. What do you wanna know?"

Blue eyes, overflowing with ambition, lit up. "Everything."

* * *

 _Juan how could you just leave your weapon on the ground!? This is a terrible case of weapon abuse! I WON'T FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS!_ Ruby marched over to the sword and picked it up. _Weapons are supposed to define us as extensions of ourselves, you can't just lea—_ Her face scrunched up like a confused pug. _This sword really doesn't feel like an extension of Juan..._

Weiss walked up to her and studied the blade. "He's using a longsword? But he went on and on about how beautiful my Myrnaster is, so why doesn't he own a rapier of his own?"

 _So she calls her weapon Myrnaster, I see. Not as cool as Crescent Rose, though!_ Ruby puffed out her chest like a proud mother. "Perhaps he is saving up to buy a rapier? You can see his weapon has a lot of small scratches. So it must either have been bought used or is an heirloom of some kin _—_ I don't see any dust modifications on the weapon!?"

"WHAT!? You're telling me he's from somewhere without dust weapons?"

"Seems like that's the case, which means he is from outside the kingdom borders. Oh, I almost forgot, I haven't introduced myself! I'm Ruby Rose. Nice to meetcha." She extended her hand to the white-haired girl, who took it with a smile.

"Weiss Schnee, Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company."

"Your the snowflake family who produces the dust ammo for my Crescent Rose! I love the lighting rounds you sell, but did you have to act so uhhhhh..." Ruby struggled for a word she could use. " _Rude_ to Juan?"

Weiss raised her nose and placed her arms together. "As I said before, I was sure he was from a desolate village, and now I have all the proof I need to confirm that fact."

"Hey, you can't be certain of that yet. We have yet to see if there are any modifications to his scabbard, and considering how fast he pulled out this blade means there is a high chance he is using some form of dust enhancer, wouldn't you agree?" Ruby turned to the bow-wearing girl, only to find the girl fully focused on Juan and the bunny Faunus. She went over to her with a smile and joined her in looking at the pair that seemed to be having fun further away. "He really doesn't differentiate between people."

The black-haired girl let out a breath she was holding and turned to her with a smile. "He really doesn't, I wish there was more like him... I'm Blake."

Ruby smiled back. "I'm Ruby."

A loud hmph was heard from behind them, followed by an encore of high heels tapping against the ground. "Well, he shouldn't be wasting time! The headmaster is gonna give a speech in 5 minutes, so I'll go and get hi _—_ "

An arm belonging to Blake stopped Weiss in her tracks. "Let her have this moment, she looks like she needs it." The distant sound of laughter could be heard coming from the shy Faunus girl.

"Now listen here! We are about to be late, and we can't be late for our introduction speech!" Ruby noticed that Juan had finished talking and was heading towards them, as Weiss kept speaking obliviously. "So we need to go and get hi—"

"Hey! He's comin—"

"Ruby! Have some manners and let me fini—"

"Weiss look behind you," said Blake

"WILL YOU TWO STOP INTERRUPTING ME!" Snapped Weiss.

"Indeed, interrupting a person speaking is bad manners," agreed Juan behind Weiss.

Weiss froze while Ruby went over to give the sword back to its owner, who holstered it with a friendly nod. "Velvet cut our chat short so we wouldn't miss the headmaster's speech and provided me with the route to the auditorium. Follow me and we will make it just in time."

* * *

A young man entered the auditorium with two girls following him. "Where is the roof? Wouldn't bad weather ruin the Ceremony?"

"It's a glass roof," scoffed Weiss.

Juan froze and turned to study her face for any deceit, only to find none. _The owner of this place is wealthy. As not even the archecclasium have that much glass in it, and that's the main temple of Myrmidia!_

"Hey guys, over here, I saved your spots!"

He followed the voice back to a now wet haired Yang and went over there with his two companions. "Thanks, Yang. I see you managed to find a place to wash your hair."

"Damn straight I did. Luckily one of the teachers helped me find a place to wash my head. Say handsome what took you so long to get her with my sis, and who's the chick behind you?"

"Ha-Handsome!?" The 'chick' repeated in the background.

The Diestro placed a hand on Ruby's hair and started ruffling it. "We might not have shown up had your brave sister not stopped a misunderstanding evolving into something horrible." Silver eyes beamed happily at him, but for some weird reason his female companions tensed up a tiny bit. "And the beautiful Ice Maiden behind me is Weiss Schnee. I would have brought another girl named Blake, but she needed to go and pick some stuff up from the airship. Overall, nothing out of the unusual happened."

"WHAT / EXCUSE ME!?" Both girls exclaimed at the same time, shocking him, Yang, and the surrounding students.

"Sis! He is severely downplaying what just happened! There were Duels, Tango an—"

"How can you be so relaxed!? What's the matter with you!? Not only did _we_ fight. You almost fought with that rude girl as we—"

A piercing sound that sounded throughout the auditorium. _A Shadowmancer's Pendulum, here!? We are doomed!_ Silence rather than death followed, and he looked up to the podium.

"Ahem... I'll keep this brief." A middle-aged man with grey hair was speaking into a strange device; behind him was a blond lady of the same age. Their sheer aura of authority made it clear they had a high standing in the school. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people."

Ruby turned to him with a pure smile, signifying that this was indeed the reason she was here. The grey-haired man continued his speech "But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

 _How dare you..._

The grey-haired man removed himself from the device and allowed the blonde-haired lady to step up. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed!"

 _Lacking purpose and conviction!? Me!? The same man who became one of the youngest men to be officially recognized as a Diestro by the King Himself!_ A mind boiling with rage gave life to an old treasured memory. _My ideal, my ambition, and my convictions! Everything was gifted to me by my future Chaplain Fr. Bernardo when he preached a sermon about Myrmidia's death! A subject that made the 7-year-old me and every Estalian cast our heads down in shame. Oh, how the good Father yelled at us to raise our heads up and see the truth!_

"H-Hey Juan are you okay? You're clenching your fists... Did something happen to you?"

" _Hmph_ , I see the words of Headmaster Ozpin affected you a lot more than the rest of us. Please do not explode and cause a scene."

He laid his thoughts to the side and met Ruby and Weiss with a smirk. "Oh please, if I ever let myself explode like that; then I would forfeit my title of Diestro and make the headmaster's presumption true. _Tsk_... To think he would so blatantly insult our conviction, therefore!" The blond boy slapped his fist against his open palm and turned his boiling rage into boiling resolve. "We will prove him wrong tomorrow!" He turned to the girl with iliac eyes. "Yang, can you give me directions to where our equipment is located, I have to go and fix something before tomorrow."

"Sure, you just have to enter the school and then follow the corridor to the left, where two security guards guard the baggage. Say Handsome; want me to guide you there?" She punctuated her words with a flicker of eyelashes.

"No Yang, It's something I have to do in private, but I will see all of you in the ballroom tonight." He gave them a minor bow and went out to find his stuff, as the laid aside thoughts returned. _Fr. Bernardo preached that Myrmida knew she would die, yet she chose to come down here from beyond the stars to give us mortals a simple lesson. Th— Now what!?_ In front of the exit was a huge group of students surrounding a beautiful redhead who struggled to get breathing space. He placed a hand on the shoulder of a specific big student he had seen before. "Leave. Now."

The student who was still fully focused on getting closer to the redhead started chuckling "That's rich, listen here pal, who do you think you ar—"

Eyes trained to intimidate greedy conquistadors easily overpowered the student. "You remember me from the Airship. Good, I certainly remember how you laughed at miss Yang. Tell you what, I'll give you 20 seconds to get everyone away from the girl in the middle, and I will forget your face in the laughing crowd." Perhaps he used a bit too much force in his words because the meat tank of a student went into a frenzy and started pushing and showing the group away. After just 18 seconds only three students were in front of the exit, namely an exhausted muscle head, a confused redhead, and a smirking blond who's plan had gone exactly as planned. "Well done big guy, consider yourself out of my debt. Now, take a well-deserved nap." The big student nodded and fell over out of sheer tiredness. He stepped over the student and went over to the redhead. "Are you okay, Miss?"

The redhead blinked in confusion. "Yes, I'm okay. Thanks for helping me out." She gave him a smile which he mirrored with his own.

"Anytime." The exit was finally free of the rabble and he stepped forward. "Oh yeah, before I forget." He stopped, not even bothering to look behind him. "If I hear of anyone intruding the space of the Miss here, then there will be _dire_ consequences." The blue-eyed fencer strode out of the building, leaving a stunned crowd and an extremely intrigued redhead in his wake.

Every step forward created a thought of philosophy, history or dogma that swirled around in the Diestro's head, before merging together to create a single sentence of absolute truth. _True beauty is found in dying for divine ideals!_ He returned from his mind-dive and noticed the two guardsmen that Yang spoke about.

"Hold it, kid, Give me the first letter of your first name and your last name."

"J. Arc"

"Okay, your baggage is numbered 34."

The Diestro located the baggage, only to yet again find the familiar childish bunny on the side of the box. _I got a bad feeling about this... I better open it somewhere private._ He grabbed it and left just in time to hear someone gets smacked. "You idiot! You're supposed to ask for the first name and then the first letter of their last name! Do it correctly from now on with the next student!" He was gone before he heard the response.

 _Now, where can I change in private? Aha, a bathroom? Perfect._ He entered and the first thing that surprised him was the mirrors everywhere. _The headmaster must be extremely rich, but where is the bath in the center? And what in the world are these metal objects sticking out of the wall? Poorly made metal seating with water in them? I have to remember to ask about this later._ He placed the baggage down and let a finger slide over the floor. _I've seen temples of Myrmidia with worse ceramic so how can such high-quality be found in a simple bathroom? Even more curious, how do I know how to open up this box called 'baggage'? Must have learned it unconsciously from my period of insanit— NO, NOT AGAIN!?_ The same smug grey bunny stared at him on a shirt, he threw it away only to see the same bunny on a different shirt. _By all that is holy, were I some kind of bunny cultist!?_ The Diestro went into a frenzy and threw away all pieces of clothing marked by that accursed grey bunny. Until finally finding a normal blue garment at the very bottom of the baggage. _Finally something wearable!_ He grabbed it and unfolded it. _Some kind of sleepwear that cover the entire body? Well, beggars can't be choosers, let's just check it's back for any grey bu—_

* * *

A certain big student had just woken up from his nap on the auditorium's floor and was heading toward the bathroom. _I can't believe that blond kid humiliated me like that in front of everyone! Next time I see him I'm gonna teach him a lesson he won't forget._ He took the handle to the bathroom and opened it.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! **"  
**

The student closed the door and walked over to the girl's bathroom instead.

* * *

Juan rushed out of the school, bare-chested, and baggage in hand. _EVERYTHING MUST BURN BY HOLY FIRE!_ A lighter in the hands of a smoking student was spotted. The Diestro turned deathly serious and dashed to the student, jumping at the exact moment, to grab the lighter out of the hand of the shocked student. "I'll REPAY YOU TEN TIMES LATER, RIGHT NOW I NEED THIS!"

"What the fu—"

He was already too far away to hear. _FIRE SECURED, NOW LUMBER IS REQUIRED! AHA! A FOREST!_ He ran into the forest without noticing the yellow warning sign. _I must locate a clearing where I can burn these accursed clothing! NO ONE MUST KNOW I HAD THESE!_

A roar shattered the quiet of the forest, and a huge red-eyed black bear jumped out of a bush and charged him.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY, BEAR!" His free hand unsheathed his blade and held it behind him. The beast arose on two feet to maul him, only for the Diestro jump up and slam his baggage up in the lower jaw of the bear. "EXPOSED!" He twisted his whole body midair, cleaving the bear's throat away and landed gracefully to sidestep the crushing weight of the falling bear. _If what the Erengard merchants said is true about bears, then they usually hunt in open fields. Which mean there is one in the direction the bear came from!_ The Diestro sprinted forwards, uncaring about the dying beast behind him.

* * *

At the highest tower in Beacon sat Headmaster Ozpin and enjoyed himself a hot cup of cocoa. Then Glynda stepped in while typing furiously on her scroll.

"Sir, the new student, Jaune Arc, is running half-naked through the Grimm infested forest."

Ozpin took a big sip, this was gonna be one of _those_ days. "Put him up on the hologram screen and let's see what he's up to"

"Yes, sir."

The hologram flared up, showing an annoyed Jaune Arc counter a Beowolf swipe with his baggage and then stabbed it through the head, before sprinting away.

"Interesting... Let's see what he is planning for now."

* * *

A couple of birds were plucking the earth for worms in the clearing in the forest, only to fly away when they heard something approaching fast. Juan jumped out a bush and emptied his baggage in the middle. _Now for the fires of redemption._ He snapped open the lighter and used his horrendous blue sleepwear as kindle to his pile of clothing. _The kindling has begun, now for the flammable material!_ The Diestro rushed to the trees and started cutting off branches with his sword, throwing them into the small fire. A small fire turned into a raging pyre, and he fell down on the ground, exhausted by the hard work. _Why does it hurt so much in my heart, let alone my body!? By the lost bell of Bilbalbi, how much idling did I let myself do in my madness!?_

A snap of twig sharpened the senses of the tired boy and he pulled himself up to see a bunch of two-legged, black furred monsters closing in on him. _Again with the black fur? Where is the variety in this place!?_ "The blond noticed the strange Cathayan Squigs growl at his pyre behind him and something clicked in his head. "You wanna stop my pyre and reveal my shame to the world? THINK AGAIN!" He slammed his foot down and grabbed onto his scabbard for a makeshift parrying blade. _There's a button on my scabbard? I wonder what it will do if I press it._ The scabbard extended itself into a heather shield with enough force to create airwaves. Had the tiredness not dulled the shock tremendously, it might have caused him to drop it. He stared long and hard and started chuckling at the sheer madness of the situation. He changed his stance and placed his longsword over his right shoulder behind his head, and turned his shield slightly towards the monsters. "It would seem that I have picked up weapons suited for the rodelero sword style. Not my preference per say, but it shall do, FACE ME SQUIGS!"

* * *

Ozpin and Glynda stared long and hard at the hologram screen showing Jaune Arc butchering the herd of creeps.

 **"DON'T YOU DARE DESTROY MY FIRE, BEASTS! I WILL FIGHT UNTIL IT'S NOTHING BUT ASHES! AHAHAHAHA! YES, COME AND SACRIFICE YOURSELVES FOR MYRMIDIA'S GLORY!** "

"..."

"..."

Ozpin took a sip of cocoa, while Glynda coughed awkwardly. "Well... At least he has more than proved his capability... What do we do now, sir?"

 **"WHAT IS THAT!? ANOTHER SKINWOLF THA— HEY! STOP THROWING ROCKS AT MY FIRE YOU OVERSIZED MUTT!** "

Ozpin noted that the Beowolf was, in fact throwing rocks at Jaune who with flawless evasion, caused the rocks to hit the pyre instead. The boy threw his shield into a charging creep and then jumped onto the shield, using the creep as a makeshift springboard to reach the Beowolf he called a 'Skinwolf'.

"... Glynda... Call Port and tell him: Get to the smoke rising in the forest, a boy has started a pyre to attract Grimm so he can battle them half-naked."

 **"DIE!"**

"... And tell him to take his time."

* * *

Night had fallen over Beacon Academy, and most of the new students were in the ballroom getting ready to sleep. "What an amazing day!" Yang jumped down on her bedroll next to her sister.

"First day and I already have 3 new friends! Hah, this is going so much better than I expected This place is full of special people so I'm not standing out!" Ruby shined like a small sun.

Yang smiled at her little sister but said smile turned devilish when she noticed the white-haired girl trying to sleep on the bedroll next to her sister. "Yeah like a guy who can puke on my hair, live to tell the tale, and then dance with the _Ice Maiden_!"

"HEY!" Weiss' face lit up with an embarrassed blush. "I told you! I have no idea why that guy kept on calling me that, and for the last time, it was him that turned our fight into a tango dance, not me!"

Yang laughed for the tenth time, never once had she thought she would meet a guy that could create so many opportunities to tease, just by existing. "Hey sis, how many times did our Casanova spin the Weiss-cream?"

The youngest girl stroke her chin in thought. "Hm... I think it was 4 times... It happened so fast that I almost missed it."

"Well, I know of one girl that certainly _does_ miss it!" She wiggled her eyebrows at the flustered girl who was turning redder by the second.

"Will you cease with the unbearable barrage of puns!"

"But puns are so bear-y fun!"

Her little sister chuckled awkwardly and turned to Weiss who had a deadpan expression. "So Weiss, don't you think you should try and get close to Blake?"

"Are you talking about that rude girl with the bow?"

Ruby gasped loud enough to cause a few students to shush at them. "Hey now! She's wasn't rude, just a bit... Confused, yeah she was confused about the situation."

"Confused!? Ruby, she almost slapped Juan!"

Yang, a true predator in the art of teasing, found her moment to strike. "You mean the slap he grabbed while holding you above ground with one arm?" She continued said teasing, by rising up and mimicking the boy. " _Oh, my sweetest Ice Maiden! Let me deal with this black haired wench, so we can continue our tango under the moonlight!_ "

The 'Ice Maiden' clenched her teeth and she knew an ice storm was coming. "YANG, SHUT UP AND FOCUS ON SOMETHING ELSE!" A loud shush was heard from the students around them. "OH FOR THE LOVE OF— NONE OF YOU ARE SLEEPING ANYWAYS! Yang laughed and looked around the ballroom. _You know you really shouldn't keep three beautiful girls waiting, Juan. What's taking you so long?... Hey, that girl? Isn't that..._ She moved over to greet her.

* * *

Further away from the girls, was a certain big-boned student who was getting some fresh air out of an open window. _Finally, the day is getting better and blondie has probably been kicked off the school for being crazy._ He laughed until some visibly rustling foliage down in the forest below caught his attention. _Is it a Grimm? The forest is loaded with Grimm and no human would be dumb enough to ventur—_ The student rubbed his eyes in disbelief and pinched himself, but sadly he was not dreaming. Out of the forest came the blond demon and an older man with a huge grey mustache. They were both dragging a huge chained up Beowolf behind them and laughing about it like they just caught a massive prize. He took a couple of steps back and walked back to his bedroll to cry himself to sleep.

* * *

Weiss was hiding under her blanket. _Curse your puppy eyes for making me to stay with you, Ruby! Look at what that audacious sister of yours has done to my reputation!_

"Don't worry, Weiss. Now that we know he doesn't use any dust modifications to draw his longsword faster, it means he's quite the competent fighter, so please don't feel embarrassed that you lost to him."

She threw away the blanket. "He took me off guard!"

Ruby agreed with a nod. "Yeah Yang said the same thing, but that's good! Now we know his trick so he won't be able to do it again!"

Weiss scowled and fell back on her pillow, and thought back to what the boy had told them earlier when they asked him about a modification to make him draw faster.

 _["You speak as if a Magister of the Light Order cast Birona's Timewarp on me, or I used one of those really stupid gun-sheaths that Wu told me Nippon was producing. Nay, it was all fast calculations, accounting for friction, air resistance, the momentum of the blade as I pulled it free, and the positioning of my feet to keep balance. All as Master Jerónimo taught me, and as his Master taught him, all the way back to Isidore of the Circles; the founder of the Arithmetic dueling philosophy, and without a doubt the wisest son of Diestro Patriarch Figueroa! No matter what the duelists of the other philosophies say."]_

She rubbed her forehead to ease a headache that was growing by the second. _Light order? Timewarp!? Diestro Patriarch!? What in the world was he rambling on about! Worse yet, we reached the auditorium before I could ask any questions_!

"Hey girls! Check out who I found!" A familiar voice made her headache increase. _Oh no, not her again..._

Weiss looked over to the now returned Yang who was with the black-haired girl from before.

"I thought you said that you would bring me to him, Miss?..."

"It's Yang Xiao Long! Nice to meetcha, I'm sure your already familiar with my lovely little sister!" Yang pointed proudly at Ruby who gave a happy wave.

"Hey, Blake!"

Blake returned the friendly wave with a smile, before losing it again when she noticed who Yang was pointing at next.

"And this is our Ice Maiden."

"Yang!"

The audacious blond gave her a cocky smirk. "Oh sorry, _Weiss-cream_. Only Casanova may call you that."

Weiss noticed the corner of Blake's lips curls slightly upwards and facepalmed. "At least the day can't get crazier than this..."

"Speaking of Casanova, where is he? We need him to complete our little get-together!"

A huff escaped her. "Oh, I'm sure that boy is just about to slam open the door and waltz in here, chest bare, telling everyone about how he has vanquished a horde of Grimm while we were touring the school!"

The doors to the ballroom slammed open and a boisterous voice ran out. "I say, my boy! That was some fine hunting you did! Not in ages have I seen such precise and lethal swordsmanship!"

"Hah! You too Mr. Port! You wield that blunder axe like a champ!" A familiar, confident voice replied back with the same enthusiasm. The girl's eyes became wide as plates and followed the voices to find Juan, bare-chested, and covered in soot next to an older man.

"Weiss! You're a psychic! That's _so_ awesome!"

"No, Ruby. Liste—"

She tried to deny it, but 'Mr. Port' cut her off. "Tis was but manliness perfected in old age! Still, to think you would start a pyre to lure Grimm to you! Haha! I quit waxing my mustache and rushed out the door once Glynda told me about it!"

"Never in my life have I met creatures viler! What kind of monster dies and leaves nothing to make trophies off!" Juan grumbled and placed his arms together.

The older man placed a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder. "Mr. Arc I am convinced that you and I shar—"

"Quiet! Some of us are trying to sleep!" whined a student further away.

"WATCH IT, BOY! YOU'RE SPEAKING TO PROFESSOR PORT OF BEACON ACADEMY, AND WHEN I DECIDE TWO MEN DESERVES A HEROES ENTRANCE, THEY WILL GET A HEROES ENTRANCE!"

Complete and utter silence followed while Weiss mind was going into overdrive. _Drats to it all! He's already gaining influence with the Teachers! To think I let you spin me around and catch me in your_ _strong arms_ _— I mean, I will not be outdone by your_ _masculi **—**_ _ARGH!... I get it now, 'Mr. Arc'. You're not crazy, but in fact, doing everything and anything to get my attention!_

"As I was saying. I'm sure that you and I share the same burning passion in our hearts! Why I was just the same as you when I was your age, and as such..." The Professor looked over to her location. "I just know, you have an _admirer_ waiting for you to return to her."

Suddenly the room temperature flared up. " _Wh-Wh-What!? Admirer!? Mr. Port that is highly unprofessional! Why if this was Atlas I wou— Wait, he's not looking at me? Who is he stari—_ "

Weiss followed the eyes of the professor to Yang, who was looking like a Beowolf that had found a huntsman fresh out of aura. _That shameless hussy! Stop looking at him like some hunk of meat! Only_ _I'm allow **—**_ _ARG!_ She shook her head and glared at the busty blond. Unknown to her, a certain red-haired girl had also paid special attention to the boy, and likewise followed the eyes to Yang.

The soot-covered boy directed his eyes at them and smirked. "I would not go so far as to call them admirers Professor Port, but I do agree with the tired student that you and I need to say good night. May Morr give you pleasant dreams."

"I've never heard of this 'Morr' fellow before, but I hope you have pleasant dreams as well, Mr. Arc. We will meet in Grimm studies class, as I am certain you will complete the initiation with flying colors. Cheerio!" The Professor left the ballroom and the boy strode towards them like a king returned from a successful campaign.

She couldn't believe what she was seeing. _How can he be so confident!? He has nothing special about his_ _bare che_ _— torso! And he is covered in filth! How is he not embarrassed at all!?_ Weiss looked over to her female companions to see if they were seeing the same thing as her. Both Ruby and Blake shared her confusion, only Yang seemed downright pleased. _I do not like the evil glint in her eye... Perhaps he is hiding his embarrassment behind a mask of confidence? That must be it! Then I must show him true Schnee hospitality by being kind to him!_ She prepared herself and met the boy with a smile, not too big to make her look foolish, and not too small to be unnoticeable.

"Greetings. I apologize for my tardiness, but there was a thing I needed to fix." He looked over at her in specific and returned her smile with an even warmer one. "At least I can tell that you four have had a wonderful day."

 _Yes! Thank you, Winter! truly your training in social etiquette was totally worth it!_ While Weiss was dancing on the inside; the mask on the outside showed nothing. "Well for your information, Juan. We were occupied with touring the school and placing our weapons in the school lock—" Yang stepped in front of her.

"Heya handsome! You know, there is no reason to walk around like that when you don't really have anything to show if you get what I'm saying..."

"Yang! Don't make him more embarrassed than he already is!"

"Embarrassed? Nonsense! There is no disgrace to a blade which has lost its edge due to disuse, likewise, there is no shame to my body as I simply need to refine it once again! But should you in particular, be taunting? _After all_..." He walked over to Yang with a dangerous smile, showing the difference in height by closeness. "This was the body that had you in submission."

Angry Sparks flew between the eyes of the blonds. _Relax Weiss... He's speaking about the duel that Ruby told about before. Wait... Did he just say what I thought he said?_

"You used to be muscular?"

The boy turned to her. "What you're seeing now is only due to me not being able to keep my training schedule in check. After our initiation tomorrow, I will resume my training once more to bring my body back to its full potential!" He declared with his arms spread out, positively radiating conviction.

Weiss imagination instantly morphed him into a fit and properly dressed Atlesian noble, and with that, everything went blank.

* * *

Confusion once again struck the Diestro. "Miss Yang and Miss Weiss, are you two alright?" He snapped his fingers in front of their eyes, but they had fallen into some kind of trance. _Is there some strange illness in Cathay that only affect women? Wu never told me about this! Unless... It's not an illness!_ He turned to the two other girls who were not affected. "I think we need to call an exorcist, they are clearly under some kind of spell!"

"Pfhaha, yeah right, no need to take it that far, Juan. Yang is just hard daydreaming. Trust me, the same thing happened when dad told her she was getting a motorcycle. Now If I remember correctly... The way to wake her up... Is to pinch her!" Ruby went over to her sister and pinched her thigh.

"OOUCH! Ruby, why!?"

"See, all better, now for Wei—"

"Wait!"

"Blake?"

"Schnee and I didn't get along so well the first time we met, so I wanna make it up to her by waking her up... Yes... That's the only reason why I wanna pinch her..." He noticed that Blake's eyes were looking everywhere but Ruby's eyes. Something that must have gone over Ruby's head because she looked downright happy.

"Aw, Blake, how nice of you! Okay, you have to pinch her really hard, so she'll wake up!"

The black haired girl nodded and went up next to Weiss, and began to shake and circulate her right arm.

 _Doing quite a lot of preparation for a mere pinch... Why does she remind me of my cat when it has cornered a mouse?_

Amber eyes turned serious, and her right hand shot out to meet a defenseless thigh.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! **"**

Chandeliers shook and students woke up en masse as the soundwave from Weiss's lips shook the entirety of the ballroom. Juan marveled at the beautiful voice resonating in his ears. _C-Could it be!? The legendary High C?! Oh if only the others and the king were here to hear this!_

" _You!_ " The heavenly voice turned frigid as any number of Lucrezia Belladonna's ex-husbands. "I should have known you would be the culp—"

He stepped up to her and once again took her hands. " _Precioso!_ My dear Ice Maiden, your beautiful voice was meant to sing in the royal theaters of Magritta!" A blush never thought imaginable spread across the face of the pale girl, who didn't respond, but gently walked over to her bedroll and fell asleep with a smile. Leaving the boy dumbfounded and a certain blonde haired girl entertained

"Great job on melting the glacier, Casanova!"

Blake seemed to share Yangs entertainment. "Yeah, thanks a lot for the save, Juan."

"PLEASE JUST GO TO SLEEP!" A voice shouted through the ballroom.

"I have no idea what you two are talking about, but the students have a point, let's get some shut eye to be ready for our initiation tomorrow." The girls nodded and went over to their bedrolls, while the Diestro searched for a spare. He found one next to a sleeping black haired guy in green garments. _Sleeping in your clothes? Cathayans sure are a strange people..._ He laid down in the soft bedroll and closed his eyes, sending a small prayer to Myrmidia, before the sweet embrace of sleep took him.

* * *

In an abyss of pure white, two persons covered in shadows stared at each other.

Uncertain who the other one was.

Only knowing that this place was only meant to house one of them.

* * *

 **Authors ramblings**

 **Savage Theron:** Salutations readers! I bring you another chapter of The Arc Diestro! I also have some grand news for you, let me introduce to you my Co-Author (and the person responsible for this chapter getting released this year and not in the next!): Solarblaster!

 **Solarblaster:** Nurgle's Rot on your houses may Chaos claim your soul.

 **Savage Theron:** ... Well even for a Chaos Cultist he sure does know how to use a pen!... And cause the walls to suddenly become alive but you gotta take the honey with the bees... Let's answer some questions!

 **Solarblaster:** The walls sing, and you write, ever do you dance to the Deceivers tune.

 **Savage Theron:** I mean if this doesn't speak to what a complete madman he is, then I have no idea what would, now, **AscendedHumanity** writes: dammit! Someone using the wrong name again, it's Jaune not Juan

(Double checks that Jaune Arc has been placed first in fic's characters and the OC behind him.) We know, friend, the first name mix up is related to the plot trust me. I will thank you for inadvertently creating the Jaune Arc scenes we see further up, haha!

 **Solarblaster:** There is no mistake, the Deceiver has said as much. The show has just begun, he expects a good show.

 **Dragoon 109:** what happend to cannon Jaune?

 **Savage Theron:** Well now that answer would spoil the whole plot, wouldn't it?

 **Solarblaster:** He walks through memories not wrought by his mind, his hands strike with borrowed skill. Why, he doesn't even know his real name anymore!

 **Husped:** What can I say, I'm hooked and eager for more. Proper skaven speech and actually making a story with an Estalian protagonist makes me confident in your portrayal of WH fluff, and effort put into depicting proper fencing is a great plus for fight scenes. May this story reach completion and not fall into the oh so common eternal hiatus.

Only criticism I can give, given that I'm just a reader and not a writer, is that the big paragraphs with tons of action and dialogue in the middle are a bit overwhelming and sometimes I get lost and have to relocate the last sentence I was in. Maybe cutting them into smaller pieces with dialogue as the cutting point would make it flow easier, I think.

Finally just a nitpick, but it would be verdadera destreza instead of vardadera.

 **Savage Theron:** We've fixed that nitpick!... Now where to begin... First of all, I will give you my sincere thanks for taking the time to write this review, it means a lot. And speaking of the portrayal of WH fluff, ' _looks to Solarblaster currently frolicking through the whole of Tzeentch's hidden library_ ', I think we got it covered... Hah, nothing's gonna keep me from finishing this story! I loathe people that leave their stories without a word. No, No, No only death itself will keep me from this story! But should it happen, then Solarblaster will inform you in the comments. Lastly, I hope you enjoy the new edit me and Solar made to chapter 1!

 **The Prophet of Courage:** Keep going

 **Savage Theron:** The best first review to receive, I will, though, sadly I'm not the fastest writer, still you get faster and better by training! Now I push away my keyboard and say thanks again for reading, following or favoriting you guys are champs, have a wonderful day!


	3. Chapter 3

" _Don't let the Greatsword's words affect you, Juan! Yes, it is true that our rapiers are nothing but needles to giants, dragons, and every monster of the size. However, just as a man reaches the zenith of fear when a needle approaches the eye, so too will our rapiers make monsters dread! Now let us find Sir Theodoric and his Knights Panther, because if I hear one more insult about our so-called 'foppish looks' then I will soak the ground in Middenlander blood!"_ _—_ Master Jerónimo, Diestro of The Geometric-Sword-Circle. Doing mercenary work with his apprentice in the Grand Duchy of Middenland; contracted to Graf Boris Todbringer, Elector Count of Middenland.

* * *

"WAKE UP LAZY BUD!"

"ARGH!?" The Diestro jumped up to his feet as adrenaline coursed through his veins. However, he used far too much strength and unceremoniously slammed his face down onto the floor _. Ouch_... _Note to self: add balance training to the schedule_.

"This is why I told you to be quiet in the morning, Nora."

He got up and followed the voice back to his now awake neighbor, who had his back turned towards an orange haired girl.

"Aw... But Ren I couldn't wait! We need to discuss our grand plan for getting partnered up for the next four yea—hey he's up again!" The hyperactive girl rushed over to Juan. "Sorry about that, I was only supposed to wake up Ren back there, but silly me might have gone a bit too loud. What's your name? My name is Nora. Do you like sloths? I love sloths!"

 _By the goddess! She's like a pyromancer on fungus brew!_ He massaged his forehead. "Lustrian giant sloths are indeed a delicacy, Miss Nora. But I pref _—_ " The black haired boy turned around and revealed a face he had been searching for. _A Cathayan! Praise Myrmidia!_

Nora looked to the Cathayan and then to him, before dashing between them with her arms spread out. "Back off, blondie! Ren's mine!" A fire ignited in her eyes, only to disappear just as quickly. "I-I mean... Mine-as-in-friend, as-I-would-totally-respect-him-if-he-swung-the-other-way, but-I-know-he-doesn't-because-I've-seen-his-secret-stash, so-pick-someone-else!"

"Nora, what in the world are you talking about? What secret sta—"

"With that out of the way! We never got your name, blondie?"

A mind sharpened to the brink with Estalian court intrigue was fighting a titanic battle trying to decipher the gibberish from earlier. _I could keep up with the fabled auctioneers of Marienburg but not this girl!? And what sheer protectiveness in her eyes! Amazing! Surely these two must be married!_ He glanced over her orange hair to the lucky boy. "My, what a lovely wife you have, Cathayan!" The husband responded with utter silence and Juan looked down at the shocked wife. "Rest assured, Mrs. Nora. That I have no intention of taking your husband away to join my band."

Nora's shocked face turned flustered with such color that it even outdid her orange hair. "No-no-no-no! Ren and I are only friends! Besides… Besides!"

She took a massive gulp of air, sending chills down the back of the fencer. _If she didn't need a breath before, then by the saints what kind of word torrent will she unleash now!?  
_

A single finger on her lips, from the Cathayan, stopped her mere seconds before she could unleash the tide. "Nora, he gets it. Do you dance?" His pink eyes demanded a subject change.

Juan let out a breath he was holding and nodded to his black-haired savior. "I've danced the tango since my master took me as his apprentice. Why do you ask, Cathayan?"

The green-wearing boy let out a shrug. "Since you have a band, I figured you liked dancing like myself."

 _He connected my preference for dancing, to me being the leader of a band of conquistadors? Truly this place understand the aristocrat!_ He smiled. "You have a taste for the finer arts as well? What kind of dancing do you engage in?"

"I live and breathe for group dancing."

Juan's smile turned cheeky. "I wouldn't call simple group mimicking for dancing."

Pink eyes narrowed in turn. "There's more dancing in it than tango will ever have."

The Diestro took a step forward. "That's quite the statement. Do you have the skill to back it up?"

The group-dancer mirrored his action. "Without a doubt."

Blue eyes and pink eyes met, neither breaking away until both boys slowly raised their arms.

"Morning fight! Go, Ren! Kick his bu _—_ huh?"

And let their arms fall down to meet in a firm handshake. "I have found a rival in the art of dancing!"

"It's nice knowing someone else takes dancing as serious as myself." Answered the Cathayan with a barely visible smile.

"So my good rival, when are we doing the duel to see which dance is superior? I say we'll do it as soo—"

Nora pushed him and the Cathayan apart. "Okay, what's going on here! Am I being pranked!?"

"What do you mean, Nora?" Questioned his newest rival.

"You know what I mean, Ren! You two were _this_ close to fighting and now your talking like you've been friends forever! I mean… You don't even know each other's names for sloth's sake!"

"Friends? If our values align then hopefully yes, but at the moment we're simply two practitioners of the dancing art. Still, you have my word that there is no wicked plot present to fool you, Miss Nora." He raised a hand up to resume the previously broken handshake. "Cathayan, the name of your dancing rival, is Juan Arc; Estalian noble and Diestro of the Geometric-Sword-Circle."

The outstretched hand was taken in turn by the black-haired youth. "Lie Ren."

"Wait... You're called Juan?"

"Is something the matter, Miss Nora?"

"It doesn't suit you! I'm just gonna call you Arc instead!"

"Nora that's not nice, apologize."

"No worries, Ren. Arc is my noble name as you both know." He flashed a smile. "In fact, I kinda like that she decided to call me that. Makes me feel... _Happy_ for some reason... Besides you're also called your last name, isn't that right, Lie Ren?"

"Touche, Juan Arc."

"Yeah, Arc suits you way better! Now let's figure out how we can we can trick the system by speaking like sloths!"

* * *

"Tell me my oddly dressed compatriot in suffering, what sort of breathing technique is she using? She has not stopped speaking for the last half an hour, yet she does not look like she needs to take a breath in the slightest. Energetic or not, she must be breathing one way or another to prevent brain death through asphyxiation?" He asked the Cathayan looking man beside him, as the ginger continued rattling on.

Ren removed his toothbrush and spat out the minty water. "Arc, do yourself a favor and don't think too deep how Nora does stuff. Trust me, she just does."

"I see…" He looked over at the mysterious girl and allowed her words into his mind.

"—So we should, therefore, aim northwest as soon as possible to secure our future sloth mascot because a sloth mascot would increase ou—"

And promptly shut them out once more. _Never thought all those screaming market-ladies would come in handy, but they did teach me to cut away noise._ He looked over at Ren and found him replying to some of her nonsense. _To not only listen to her but also answer her, shows that you care quite a lot about her, Ren._ His chuckle made the toothbrush rattle in his mouth, and he thought back to what had happened earlier.

["Do you have a toothbrush?"

"What's a 'toothbrush'?"

"I figured. You don't exactly seem to be from around here; with you being bare-chested and all, props for originality though. Here." He handed him a bizarre object that must have been the 'toothbrush'. "Nora hasn't lost the pink brush I gave her, but one can never be too certain, so I usually carry two."]

 _From chewing branches to Wu's specia_ _l dental tea, and now using a 'toothbrush' with 'Shi-nee toothpaste'! Haha! This former delivery boy has made it far in life! And if Myrmidia wills it, even further than this!_ He repeated the action of Ren and spat out the minty substance. "So Ren, will you do me the favor of explaining why there's a school for youths here in Cathay?"

Ren's eyes turned serious. "I had been meaning to ask about it when we got to somewhere private. Arc, what is this Ca—"

"CATLAND! Why do you keep saying Ren is from Catland? Now I know that Ren would look so cute with cat ea—hmf?" Nora's outburst was once again silenced by Ren's finger.

"As I was saying, what is this Cathay you keep talking about?"

The blond Diestro searched for any signs of trickery, only to find none. "Cathay is the country Beacon Academy is located, and the place you come from, right?"

"I'm sorry to inform you that we are not in Cathay, but in the Kingdom of Vale; and if you call me Cathayan by linking me racially to this 'Cathay', then you are mistaken as my racial characteristics come from my Anima heritage."

"... I see. Well, then Ren thanks for clearing it up. Now I really have to get going and deal with something important... So let's meet again at the initiation." He gave them both a small bow and left. _Poor souls must be either ignorant or insane to not realize where they live._

* * *

With a few presses of her fingers, the locker sprung open, and Ruby cheerfully took out Crescent Rose. "So Yang, still grumpy that Juan ditched you?" Her sister's slight clenched fist told her everything she needed to know.

"Why would I be grumpy?"

"Well, it might be it's the first time a guy has actually _ditched_ you." Ruby made sure to hide her face as she closed the locker. "Or that you spend breakfast staring at the door." The giggle _almost_ came out. _For every little sister suffering under the tyranny of big sisters! I salute you, Juan, for giving us this chance to strike back against our eternal opress—_ A single pale arm placed around the back of her neck, caused her to freeze.

"Hey Lil Sis, you're definitely _not_ thinking about how _hilarious_ the whole situation is, _right_ _?_ " Yang was putting force behind the words... And that meant danger.

"Eeep! Nonono I was merely saying tha—"

"You're right, Nora. Something was strange with that guy. He tried to hide it, but he repeated my actions step-by-step when I was brushing my teeth." The interruption came from a green wearing boy who walked past them with an orange haired girl.

"Yang did you hear that! Someone here doesn't know how to brush his teeth! Isn't that hilarious!?"

"Really? Yeah, that's pretty messed up if the head teach let students ent—hey! Don't change the subject!"

The small gap in her sister's attention was all Ruby needed to escape out of the headlock. "You deserve it for scaring Weiss away!" She blew raspberries at Yang who rolled her eyes.

"It was just some harmless fun, besides the real reason she left was that we found out Pyrrha Nikos is also starting here."

Ruby let out a sigh and looked further down the locker room where Weiss was chatting with the world famous Pyrrha Nikos.

[" _I need some space, Ruby. I have no problem with you, but your sister's unending teasing is driving me nuts. So, for now, I'll keep my distance to avoid further disgrace to the Schnee name. I do wish you good luck with the initiation and promise we will stay in touch._ "]

She let out a soft smile at the memory and looked at her blond sister. "Hey sis, what do you think Juan is doing? He's been away all morning, you think he is reading like Blake?"

"He's doing something hilarious without poor little me!" Yang replied in an overdramatic mournful voice, raising a hand to wipe non-existent tears from her eyes.

"Yang."

"Cut me some slack, Rubes!... Okay, serious answer." She closed her eyes in thought and folded her arms together in front of her chest. "Juan is either training or doing something with Professor Port."

"That's… Actually a pretty good couple of reasons... Wow, sis! I didn't know you had it in you!"

Yang let out her unique smirk and blew air on her nails. "Once you get as _mature_ as me, you'll realize that guys are simple things that can be put into boxes. Juan chivalrous, so I'm sure he's doing something ' _knightly_ ' right now."

* * *

 _Hold it… Hold it… NOW STRIKE!_ Juan Arc rushed forward and ripped off the unprotected curtain from its brackets, as the last student left the hallway. _Step one is complete, now for step two!_ He kept running until he finally reached the signed door.

TAILOR WORKSHOP.

Now with cloth in hand could he finally get to work. He took the handle and cursed when the door was locked. His mind pondered for a solution until some girls chatting in a side-hallway gave him an idea. The red curtain got thrown over his head and promptly fashioned into a makeshift Arabyan Head-and-mouth scarf. _Hah! A fine work for a first timer!_ He jumped out of the hallway in a graceful butterfly twist, landing directly in front of two shocked girls. One had short light green hair, while the other had exactly what he needed, long light purple hair. "Halt beauties!" Two shocked faces starred back. "It is I." He snapped his fingers. "The world-famous Mysterio! Master of tricks and cunning! I have come here to show you a trick, and see if you have what it take to see through it!"

The two girls looked at each other. "Did you hear that? Free magic show!"

"Yay!"

Juan flinched under the scarf. _Magic!? Me!? Like I would ever step so l_ ow! N _ever mind... Focus Arc, we have a trick to show!_ He made his eyes as gentle and welcoming as he could. "First, I'll need you beauties to step a bit closer."

The two girls took a hesitant step forward. "Okay, now what?"

"Oh nothing, I was just captured by your exotic hair, _especially."_ He raised the chin of the purpled haired girl between his thumb and index finger. " _Yours._ " Instantly a blush appeared on the girl's face.

"Re-Really?"

The Diestro's fingers danced between the purple hair. "Indeed, soft as silk, fit for a king." She melted like butter.

"I spend all morning getting it like this! Thank you!"

"A morning well spent… _You know_. _"_ His eyes moved to the green haired girl who had been watching with a confused expression. "I'll give you the same treatment once your hair gets the same length." Her eyes turned wide as plates and she nodded with a blush, while the girl with purple hair flinched.

"She wears a push-up bra!"

"HEY!"

"He liked me first!"

"Oh yeah!? You just got lucky—"

"Ladies!" A loud snap by the free hand of the Diestro silenced the girls before a fight could break out. He removed the other hand to the purple haired girl's dismay. "This is no time to argue. Because..." The hand that had journeyed into the purple hair, gave a twist and revealed what it had taken. "Ta-da!"

"My hairpin!"

"What a cool trick, when did you take it!?"

Juan almost collapsed. _They think this was the trick!? THIS!? No way in Myrmidia's holy name will I settle for such an easy challenge!_ He shook his head and got into the role again. "No, my beauties. This was not the trick, it was merely getting the tool. Now, shall we?"

They turned to each other with excitement.

"He can do something more amazing than this!"

"This is gonna be so cool!"

Four eyes met his and waited patiently for the trick. "Now let's make a small bet. If I can make the hairpin disappear while you girls are watching. I'll keep it. But if you girls can manage to find it, then I'll pay for an expensive dinner."

"I'm in!"

"Yeah me too!"

If the girls could see behind the scarf, they would see a smile akin to a predator sneaking up on a defenseless prey. " _Wonderful_ , look at the hairpin." He placed it between his index finger and middle finger. "Do you both see where I'm currently holding the hairpin?" Both girls nodded. "Good, let's begin… Three… Two..." He raised both hands so they were right in front of his eyes. "One." A silence of anticipation fell on the hallway. "NOW!" His two hands started waving back and forth at high speed, just millimeters away from his blue eyes, yet, even while this was happening, the eye contact he had with the girls, never broke. "I've won." The hands stopped and two jaws fell.

"What!?"

"It disappeared!?"

Juan nodded and spread his arms out for them search. The purple haired one stepped forward and searched the cloth around his head with her fingers, while the green haired girl went through his pockets.

"Hey did you find it?"

"Nope... Guess you gotta give him the hairpin. Okay Mysterio, you win, shows us where a half naked-dude hid it."

His right hand moved to his face and pulled down the scarf, revealing a smug grin with the missing hairpin between his teeth.

"No way…"

"How did you do that!?"

Juan Arc took the hairpin from the teeth and pulled up his scarf. " A true Maestro never reveals his tricks... _But_." He gave a wink. "You two were quite _enchanted_ by my _eyes_ , were you not?" Both girls turned red as freshly picked Cantonian tomatoes. "Now if you will excuse me, a beckoning calls me! _Adiós_!" He did a backflip and ran away, missing whatever the girls yelled after him. _Omar, you son of a dead camel and a prostitute! Your trick might have won you three of my gold pieces, and made me spend_ _weeks_ _trying to figure it out!_ At last, he was in front of the door once again. _But in the end, it worked out for me! Even if I did risk losing an eye._ He looked for any eyewitnesses and bend down in front of the lock. _Who knew a trip to the brig with a Monkey Faunus, would cause me to not only get a brother-for-life but also pick up lockpicking afterward..._ A loud click sounded and Juan walked into the tailor workshop _._

The view he was got was strange but there was some semblance to the tailor shops back home. He went over to an empty table and took off the red cloth that covered his face. _Shall I go for a modest poncho, or... A stylish cape to go with my pale chest!_ Sparkles shined in his eyes as he gathered the tools needed to make the statement of boldness. _Hm_... _It might get me into_ _another_ _misunderstanding with the opposite sex… Bah! It's not like there is anyone here who can actually pose a thre—wait… Didn't Ruby say her uncle taught her how to wield her weapon?_ A terrifying image of a massive man wielding a scythe appeared in his mind. _Scratch that! A modest poncho it is!_

Juan enjoyed a feeling of nostalgia, as the scissor bit into the red cloth. When he was still an apprentice, it had been his duty to fix his Master's clothes whenever an opponent's rapier got a lucky cut. So he had gotten quite good with tailoring after many fixes. _A poncho made by noble hands, I wonder what such a thing could fetch in the peasants' marketplace?_ The cutting ceased and he folded out the finished work. _Red as Myrmidia's banner! But some holy heraldry would do wonders...hm?_ A drawing grabbed his attention and he walked closer to inspect it.

 _Is this suppose to be a joke?_ It was a crude drawing of a woman in masculine clothing. _Such barbarity! No worries, I'll save it with the latest_ _feminine_ _fashion!_ He grabbed a pencil and went to work. First, the pants got replaced with a black half dress going from the left upper thigh to the right shin, then the brown sweater got turned into a sleeveless brown corset. _Time for the strange bits._ Black gloves became long white gloves, while the weird baggy hat got removed entirely to leave the hair free. Lastly, the strange black eyewear got changed into a right-sided black monocle. _Done… I must say the tailor did a wonderful job with the shoes, and especially the adorable black-rose scarf._ He turned to leave, only to stop and look at the drawing once more. Something was pulling him back.

He stared long and hard at the drawing until it hit him like a bullet. Since he had erased her eyewear, the left side lacked an ocular. _Heh, I just can't leave half-finished work, even when it's something like this... Now, what kind of eye shall I grace you with?... Hm... Your outfit spoke of_ _defiance,_ _so I will give you an eye worthy of it!_ The Diestro's pencil surged forward once more, replicating an eye he remembered dearly. It was from a grand oil painting that donned the temple walls, showing a young Myrmidia's first kill, namely the thrice-damned lord who had tormented her in her youth. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, a single eye, radiating just defiance, stared back. _Perfección… Wouldn't you agree?_ Blue eyes fell down to the bottom of the paper. _Coco Adel._ He let out a smile and wrote a note above the name.

No need to thank me — A.

The red poncho was thrown over his pale neck with a woosh of air, and the young nobleman strutted toward the exit.

Only to stop when the doorknob rattled.

"Yo, the door is locked? Professor Peach must have overslept again!" Said a muffled voice behind the door.

He let out the breath and chuckled. _Could have been a fun challenge._

"There she is!"

The previous smug attitude evaporated.

"Hurry up, professor! Some of us have been waiting all week to work on our sketch! _"_

 _I DIDN'T MEAN IT!_ He rushed over to the windows and opened one of them. _Dammit, I can't survive a three-floor drop!_ A dreadful click of a key being inserted into a lock sounded out, and a memory of Wu emerged.

[ _"My Estalian Brother! You may call your Inquisitors undefeated in the mastery of punishments and torture. But take my word for it, there is NOTHING compared to Cathayan torture! For a crime as minor as trespassing, the captured criminal is locked into a wooden collar and his limbs are put into the most horrible of positioning until the sentence is due… I can see on your face your curious how long such a sentence would be?... It's merely three months. What did you take us to be? Barbarians?"_ ]

Juan jumped out of the window without a second thought and turned mid-air to grab the stone still. He then raised a hand to gently close the window before returning it to the still. _My arms are weak! Am I gonna die because my own strength failed me!?_ Blue eyes searched hysterically and found a miracle. _A rain gutter! Praise be Myrmidia and everything in the heavens! I've escaped torture and even better._ He swung his body to the side. _I WON'T HAVE WU LAUGHING AT ME FOR THREE MONTHS!_ And grabbed the pipe, causing him to slide down while praying with laughter until his feet hit the ground. _The legend lives! And fortune grants me more favor yet, by placing an entrance into the school next to my landing!_ He gave a quick nod to the heavens and opened the door.

"WHO TURNED MY OUTFIT INTO A MUSEUM EXHIBIT!?"

He froze, before feeling warmth behind the cheeks. _D'oh stop it, you! Haha, my work is only 'acceptable' at best, nothing museum worthy!_ The swordsman went inside with a smile and closed the door behind him, just barely missing a furious Coco Adel slamming open the windows with a spinning Gatling gun.

* * *

 _Did I make it clear enough to Ruby? I hope she doesn't take it personally_ _, but I can't have my reputation destroyed by her sister… Who am I kidding... Ruby_ _has_ _been nothing but caring, and I overreacted._

"Are you okay, Weiss?"

Weiss snapped out of her guilt trip and focused once more on the famous star. "It's nothing, Pyrrha. Listen I was wondering if you wanted to join my team?"

"You've already found two others to team up with?"

"Indeed, a pleasant girl," she looked over to Ruby speaking with her older sister, "and a master fencer. I think you will find them absolutely charming like I do." Her ambition was running wild behind the mask of politeness. _The perfect team is within grasp! With Ruby's speed, Pyrrha's skill, and Juan's fencing. All under my leadership! N_ _othing_ _will be able to stand in our way!_ A blissful image appeared of her standing atop a huge tower, overlooking thousands of adoring fans with her future teammates by her side.

"That sounds wonderful. But I already have someone in mind."

The daydream shattered. "Already!? Bu-But Pyrrha you must be careful, there is many who just wanna team up with you because you're famous!"

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. " _Right..._ No, I'm quite sure he's a good pick. He helped me out while I was getting swarmed by fans, and it didn't look like he had any idea who I was."

"That's ridiculous! It would be like if someone didn't know about the Schnee... Dust… Company..."

"Is something the matter? You look rather pale, Weiss."

She grabbed the famous redhead. "Tell me, how did he look!? Did he have blon—"

The sound of doors slamming open echoed throughout the locker room and Pyrrha's face lit up like a small sun.

"That's him."

* * *

The grand entrance had been declared and Juan stepped into the locker room with a whistle; quickly spotting four familiar faces. " _Oho_? Was my presence expected?"

A woosh of air blew, and Ruby appeared in front of him with a pure smile. "Hiya, Juan!"

"Salutations, Ruby." He gave her a friendly head ruffle. "Show me that you can put theory into practice, okay?"

Ruby's smile increased tenfold. "Of course! Me and Crescent Rose are unstoppable!"

"Should I be worried about you and my little sister, _handsome_?"

The Diestro looked over to the approaching blonde. "Who knows?" He let out a smirk. "Perhaps I'm just using her to get closer to the older sister, _my little sunflower."_

"Hey!"

Yang got close... quite close. " _That's not necessary._ "

He grinned at the challenge and leaned even closer. " _I_ _disagree_..." Once again their eyes met in a clash of dominance until the hilarity of the situation got to them.

"Haha, you're something else that's for sure!" She wiped a tear from her eye and placed a finger on his chest. "So where did you get the cute poncho, _hm_?"

Ruby grabbed the red cloth with a nod of approval. "Good taste in color. Is this why you were away all morning?"

"Yes, I was doing a bit of tailoring. Now if you girls will excuse me." The Diestro gently pushed the girls apart and went forward. "My weapon awaits."

* * *

Seconds turned into hours, as each confident step brought him closer to her. _Okay, time to put on a brave face, Pyrrha. Don't say your last name and you should gain your first true friend._ She took a deep breath and put on a smile. "Hello, I'm Pyr—"

"Finally you came, Juan!" Weiss interrupted her and stepped in front of her view. "Have you decided who you will team up with?"

"Team up with?"

She hid her frown and walked up next to the Heiress. "Yes, the teams are comprised of four students."

His blue eyes met hers. "I see... Weiss, Yang, Ruby you're with me!" A cold dagger stabbed her heart as the two girls behind him let out a cheer.

"Juan Arc!" Weiss shocked voice took her attention. "Do you have any idea who you are standing in front?!"

 _No, don't tell him!_

"A beautiful red-haired girl who by chance has her locker right next to my own?" He gave her a wink that twisted the knife even further.

"You're standing in front of _THE_ Pyrrha Nikos!"

 _So much for getting my first true friend... Thanks a lot,_ _Schnee..._ _Out of all people I thought you would understand._ Yes, she was a prodigy, renowned worldwide, but that also meant that she was a social pariah. No one wanted to know the real her... They only wanted to worship the 'goddess of victory'.

"Am I supposed to know that name?"

 _Huh?_ She opened her eyes and saw his kind blue eyes looking back.

"Nice to meet you, Pyrrha. The name is Juan Arc." A ray of sunshine appeared to the red-haired spear wielder.

"Listen, I know that it's possible to not know about the Schnee Dust Company!" Exclaimed Weiss with a particularly aghast expression

 _He doesn't know about the SDC!?_

"But a fighter of _your_ skill should know the top graduate of Sanctum!"

"I don't. Is that supposed to be impressive?"

"She has won the Mistral regional tournament four years in a row!"

"Well done, I think. Though this assumes that the other competitors were not just mere chaff."

"She has more titles than Yang over there has puns!"

"TALL ORDER ICE QUEEN!" Exclaimed the blond girl behind Juan Arc, but it was ignored by Weiss who kept going.

"The Invincible Girl! The Goddess of Victory! The—"

"I beg your pardon, Miss Schnee?" The boy's voice took an edge and his eyes narrowed.

"W-What's the matter?" Curiosity got the best of her and the narrow eyes turned on her.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all. Other than the fact that the second title you have is _blasphemy._ Only Myrmidia may be the goddess of victory, therefore!" He pointed at her. " I, Juan Arc, declare you my rival!"

 _No, not like this… Not another rival…_ The familiar feeling of wetness behind the eyes returned.

"I respect you for your confidence, Juan. But Pyrrha Nikos is too highly ranked for you to declare rivalry."

The snobbish voice of the Heiress sounded out and Juan turned downright ferocious. " _Excuse me_?"

"You heard me. Pyrrha Nikos is expected to become the next Vytal Champion, what have you achieved that could measure up to that?"

The poncho bearer blinked, before bursting into laughter. "My dear Ice Maiden. I had expected _you_ of all people, to recognize a noble when he is standing right in front of you."

 _He's a noble!?_ She resisted the urge to gasp, while the snob next to her, turned blue.

He then casually opened the locker next to her; and grabbed the sword inside. "If I recall correctly, my titles are Diestro of the Geometric-Sword-Circle; Enforcer of the Loyalists in Lustria; Fearless Gorebull Toreador of the Drakwald; Terror of decadent slavers; Chaste Cohort to Amazons; Honorable Pirate-hunter; Glorius Conquistador Capitán; and Chao-i to his Celestial Dragon Emperor, Xen Huong of Cathay." All anger had seemingly evaporated into nothing, as he went over his titles with an easygoing attitude. "Lastly my majesty Felipe the III raised me up to nobility. So with all this information do you still think I don't measure up?"

No response came, and Pýrrha followed his confused eyes to find Weiss completely stunned.

"Someone really knows how to _break_ the _ice_."

"Wow! A semblance that freezes women!"

The girls snickered behind him, while Juan became more confused, and turned to them. Pyrrha used the moment to gather her thoughts. _He's a kind-hearted noble with a pinch of religious fanaticism. So I'll use that to get closer to him... Destiny placed our lockers next to each other, and I_ _refuse_ _to let a stuck up heiress ruin that!_ She took a deep breath. "Juan."

He was about to say something to the girls but directed his attention back to her. "Yes?"

"I am truly sorry for making you angry before, it was not my intention at all. In fact, I don't even like being called 'the goddess of victory', it was just some stupid title people gave me."

The noble gave her a smile that made the sun seem dull. "I see you have an honorable heart, my lady." He placed a strong, and yet gentle hand on her shoulder, which made her heart skip a beat. "Fret not, I will destroy the title in front of everyone when I defeat you, my Rival."

She tried her best to smile but it came out awkward at best. "W-Well, is there any way I can _stop_ being your rival?"

A deep, thoughtful expression emerged on the blond. "If we were to be allies for any extended time, then I would be honor-bound by the declaration of our saintly holiness; La Aguila Ultima, Isabella Giovanna Lucceli, to end all rivalry under the threat of losing my soul and honor."

Pyrrha saw destiny manifest as a rising star and let out a true smile. "I see!" She noticed a tiny blush appear on his pale face.

" **Would all first-year students please report to Beacon cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."** Glynda's voice sounded out through the intercom, and Pyrrha noticed how the boy's entire posture seemed to become charged with zealous enthusiasm.

"The time of glory and honor has come!"

* * *

Weiss was in the inner mind she had created at her tenth birthday when the illusion of the world got destroyed. It was her sanctuary, a place she could escape to when the burden of her name threatened to crush her. Yet it had not been her mother drinking the fifth wineglass; nor had it been her father looking at her with loathing that had caused her to come here. No, the reason she was here was that a certain tall teenager with messy blond hair had _metaphorical speaking,_ thrown her into it. _I messed up! I thought he was a charming roguish commoner with an exquisite accent, but he was actually a charming roguish_ _noble_ _with an_ _eroti_ _—exquisite accent!_ She walked around nervously as her mind overheated. _There has never existed a 'Kingdom of Astarios' here on Remnant... But I know a liar when I see one, and Juan is definitely not a liar so what coul—!?_ Her hands shot up to her mouth as she gasped. _Of course! The seas west of Vacou and east of Mistral are_ _still_ _unexplored because of the colossal Sea-Grimm living in those waters. However, the discovery of a civilization across the Black Waters would be HUGE news everywhere in the four Kingdoms! U_ _nless_ _..._ The inner mind submitted and twisted to her will.

She was now onboard a wooden ship in a furious grey storm with only lighting revealing the faceless men running around.

"REEF THE SAILS, YOU DOGS! REEF THE SAILS!" Weiss followed the voice, and a powerful lighting strike revealed Juan Arc in full captain's outfit, handling the steering wheel with unreal authority.

She saw a man rush up the deck next to him. "CAPTAIN WE CAN'T SURVIVE THIS! WE MUST TURN BA—"

A powerful backhand sent the terrified man flying. "YOU DARE, COWARD!? MY CONQUEST LIES PASS THIS ACCURSED SEA AND I WILL CONQUER IT; NO MATTER THE COST!"

"SIRE! KRAKEN!"

"HAH, MY SIXTH KILL OF THE DAY! SERVANT GRAB THE WHEEL AND MYRMIDIA HELP YOU IF I SEE THIS SHIP MOVE A SINGLE ARCMINUTE OFF COURSE!"

"IT'S HEADING STRAIGHT TOWARDS US!"

"PERFECT! KEEP THE COURSE!"

 _Okay, that's enough yelling._ She twisted the fantasy into Juan standing on an unknown beach in either Vacaou or Mistral.

"Behold men! My promise of a new world has been achieved!" A cheering crew appeared around him. "Now for our plan, as you all know, I am the king's most favored Diestro and have thus been given the grand responsibility of reconnaissance. Therefore I declare it would be in our best interest to hide our ship and merge into the local population!"

The crew let out a unified gasp. "But sire! No one would know you are nobility!"

"Exactly! But those that actually matter will easily see past the facade." The faceless men nodded at their leader's impeccable logic. Anyone important enough to bother with in this land would surely see the true greatness of their Captain.

Weiss destroyed the vision and made a pillow to scream in. _This is a catastrophe! We are gonna lose out on a whole kingdom because of me… No! I_ will fix _the situation!_ She freshened herself up and made the blond appear. "Sir Juan Arc. On behalf of the Schnee Dust Company do I hereby give you my deepest apology and a small monetary token of one hundred thousand lien; in our hope that the Schnee's enterprise will be accepted in your kingdom."

He took a step closer. "Not good enough."

"Okay how about we add a dust deal on top of it?"

He took another step closer. "Still not good enough."

"I-I can make you into a top investor?"

He took a third step closer. "I'm not interested in trinkets and coin."

"Then what do you want!?"

A wicked smile appeared on his handsome face. "You _know_ exactly what I _want_."

Weiss let out a gasp and took a step back, only to stumble into a wall. Before she could react a hand shot out and blocked her escape. She followed the arm and found Juan's face an inch away from hers. An evil glint appeared in his blue eyes, and she felt her cheeks get heated from the situation. "I-I-I refuse to disgrace me in such a manner..."

"Disgrace?" She felt his hot breath caress her face. "There will be no disgrace when I make you mine."

Weiss closed her eyes as his hand touched her thigh. _H-He knows my w-weak spot..._ The heiress body burned, and she was about to shatter like glass.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" And shatter she did, just not in a nice way, as someone pinched her thigh and brought her back to reality.

"Welcome back to Remnant, Weiss!"

"RUBY!" She grabbed the reaper wannabe and started shaking her. "Didn't you get my message!? You thigh pinching little brat!" The heiress froze as she realized there was a way to make amends with the noble, which did not involve her moaning on a bed like a common prostitute. For the cookie obsessed solution was now, quite literally, in her hands.

"Oh Ruby, I'm in so much trouble and I really need your help! I just found out that Juan is a noble of a foreign Kingdom, and therefore a foreign dignitary! I mean it all makes sense now with his immaculate mannerisms and grace and good looks and—ANYWAY! The reason I am telling you this is if you can help me smooth things over with him before the trade negotiations start since you've clearly known him longer!" Weiss poured her heart out to the Silver-Eyed girl, whose expression went from confused, to hopeful, and then lastly to very embarrassed with complimentary finger twiddling.

"Oh, yeah that. I, uhhhh, I forgot to tell you. Sorry."

Weiss went stiff.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU FORGOT TO TELL ME?!" Growled Weiss as her hands flew up to pull at Ruby's cheeks **.**

"M'm sawwy!"

"SORRY WON'T CUT IT RUB—"

"Are you coming, señoritas?" She instantly let go of Ruby's cheeks at the last minute, to see a smiling Juan walk into view. "Splendid! You're fully awake!"

She rushed forward to meet him. "I am terribly sorry about what happened earlier, Juan! If I had any idea you were nobility then all of this wouldn't have happened, so please don't cut away your country from dust trading with the Schnee name."

The noble raised a puzzled eyebrow. "Weiss, what is the Schnee monopoly on dust?"

"A-Around 85 percent worldwide."

"85 percent!?" She saw his eyes widen in awe and he looked away. "... She's a Merchant Princess…" Was the only thing she heard from his whisper.

"Is something the matter?"

The noble looked at her with eyes wider than normal. "You live in a huge mansion with butlers and the like right?"

"We have at least one butler I care about."

Juan blinked once, twice, thrice and started a chuckle that turned into a cheerful laugh. "My dearest Ice Maiden, be assured that you have nothing to apologize for." He pressed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Out of all the merchant princesses I have met, none has been more pleasing than you." The hand gently touched the scar under her eye. "And I'm overjoyed I met _you_ before knowing that fact." He turned and grabbed her hand before she could react. "Now let's go! Glory awaits!"

"Yeah! I'm gonna show you both what Cresent Rose can do!"

"Haha, I can't wait for it, Ruby!"

"You better! I've spent all morning going over my special moves, like the corkscre—"

The voices faded away as she looked at the hand pulling hers.

[" _There, there, my little snowflake, no reason to cry… I swear on my honor as your family butler, that someday you will find true friends, who will be with you, not because of your last name, but because they like the true you."]_

She followed the hand up to see her new friends laughing, and joined them.

* * *

The air whistled in tune with the clear blue sky, and Juan could not help reminisce about the similarity between the forest below, and the forest surrounding Scheinfeld. Both were beautiful from afar but carried dark things within them. "For years you have trained to become warriors." The Diestro returned his attention to the headmaster. "And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams." Continued the blonde assistant with glasses. "Well, Allow us to put an end to your _confusion_." She said the last word with a frown aimed at him. "Each of you will be given teammates… Today."

The headmaster spoke up again. "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to paired with someone with whom you can work well." He suddenly felt a lot of eyes on him. "That being said the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next 4 years." The feeling changed from being watched to bestial hunger, but it was nothing new to one who always took the spotlight.

 _A very luck based way of choosing… I wonder if the Headmaster is a follower of Ranald?_

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die. You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation. But our instructors will not intervene."

 _Monitored?... I see... The headmaster must be a wizard of some kind._

"You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one, and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

Juan looked down on the emblazoned metal square that had been assigned to every student. _With the sheer technology advancement of the Cathyans, then I'm quite sure that what we are standing on, will somehow safely transport us down the cliff._

"Good! Now, take your positions."

He looked to his left and saw the whole line of students take different stances. _I better make sure I don't get bugs in my eyes when the movement begins._ He closed his eyes with a smirk and awaited the spectacle. A faraway woosh sounded out, but the blond paid it no mind... _I gotta admit this is taking quite a lot of time to start. But it might be that the closing in 'woosh' sound is what the square uses before movin—_

"WOOHOO!"

 _... Nora?_ Juan opened his eyes and saw the hyperactive girl get catapulted through the air. "Sigmarite's size compensation! What sort of death trap are you using?! Yang, Ruby, we shou—" Yang silenced him with a wink, before donning some goggles and let herself be launched through the air. Ruby followed suit by giving him a shy wave, and then allowed the catapult to do its thing. "… I've joined a suicide cult." He sighed and did an instant roll off the pad, just in time to avoid getting launched through the air.

* * *

 _So Jaune Arc can kill Grimm with a skill rarely seen among huntsmen, yet heights scare him?_ Ozpin facepalmed. "Glynda, grab Mr. Arc." Glynda reacted immediately and used her telekinesis to levitate the boy into the air. Ozpin noted with a hint of curiosity how the boy screamed out in some unknown language, what he assumed to be profanity, even going so far as to wave his sword angrily at them, to no avail of course. _Must be stress getting to him._ He took a sip of the hot cocoa. "Let's see... 46. 203. 420. Fire!" Glynda turned towards the coordination and flung the Jaune into the forest.

"Ranald water down your beverage, you Tilean-hearted bastard!" Roared the boy as he was send flying.

Ozpin merely chuckled and took another sip. Then his pupils dilated for a moment, his jaw tightened, and his knuckles went white.

"Glynda, did we have any more cocoa powder left?" He queried with a voice sterilized of all hope.

"No sir, this cup was the last of it. We won't be getting more until tomorrow."

"I see. Carry on then." If one were to pay close attention, they would see a throbbing vein peeking out from under his hair.

* * *

Shame, anger, and simple annoyance, at letting himself fall to such buffoonery, was what Juan Arc was going through, as he fell to his death. It turned out that securing a pistol to shoot witches, were far more important than modesty, something he personally would have loved to tell Fr. Bernando. But alas now he had to tell him in the afterlife, and since he was about to die in the most disgraceful of ways, that might be denied to him altogether. So he did the only thing any faithful Myrmidian would do in the situation. He closed his eyes and prayed like he had accidentally fed a saint's bone to one of his dogs.

 _Blessed Myrmidia, I come before your all-encompassing grace as your father's ravens soon gather around my corpse. May my meager efforts to restore your great nation have pleased thee, and repay the honor-debt; that all whose ancestors once lived beneath your banner have._ _I beg thee. Cast not my soul to the jackals of Chaos, and forgive my failings, for I have striven to meet your divine expectations with every breath, since my 7th spring. May you welcome me into your eternal city, and if I have not met your expectations, then I beg thee to relieve a wretched soul, and let me take their penance of guarding your realm._

Myrmidia must have heard him, as he felt the pull of an unseen force, yet the light that shined behind his eyelids faded, and at that moment, he felt true fear. The thought that a daemon has snatched his soul away, paled in comparison to the existential dread of being rejected by Myrmi—

"GARGH!"

Pain flared through his back as he slammed against something solid. He opened his eyes and saw himself dangling in the air, with a spear nailing his poncho to a tree. The sheer surreality of the situation stunned him momentarily before he let out a painful laugh. _A_ _spear_ _of all things... Is this what they call a divine intervention?_ Juan grabbed the hilt and pulled himself up to stand on the spear. A quick sword swipe was all it took to free himself, and he balanced around to place his hurting back against the tree. _I cannot appear weak to any Grimm, or let my protector know of my condition._ The feeling of wet wounds against cloth gnawed him, but no one would be able to tell. All of a sudden a panting Pyrrha emerged from the bushes and locked her eyes with his. "... You must be astounding at spearfishing."

The redhead giggled. "Maybe? I haven't tried it."

"No worries." He jumped onto the outer part of the spear, causing it to rapidly spin up in the air, and landed just in time to catch it with a smirk. "You and I are going out spearfishing at some point." He handed her the spear. "Partner."

Pyrrha smiled and took the spear, before looking away. "I'm sorry about the whole rivalry thing, Juan..."

"Haha, do not fret, señorita!" He placed an assuring hand on her shoulder. "My options were either a beautiful rival or a beautiful partner, so it was a victory no matter what!"

Her green eyes turned to him with a blush on her face. "Y-You think I'm beautiful?"

The Diestro gave her a wink. "My male peers would look upon me with jealousy if they were here to see this. Now!" He walked past her. "Let us find the re—" The blond froze as he began to take stock of the whole situation, now that his sense of gratitude was beginning to wear off. _She could be a cultist as well._ He tightened the grip on his sword. "Pyrrha, how did you survive the fa—"

"JUAN!" Her hand pulled up his poncho. "You're bleeding!" She spun him around and looked at him with worried-filled eyes. "Why didn't you activate your aura?"

"Aura?"

"I'm talking about this."

Shock seized him when Pyrrha began to glow in a red hue. _Aqshy… The red wind of fire._ He took a nervous gulp. "So you're a witch..."

Pyrrha looked at him like he had just told her about elephants doing ballet, before letting out a small giggle. "No, I'm just a normal girl. The red glow you see is my soul manifesting as a protective layer around my body, we call this; aura."

"Oh thank the saints!" He let out a sigh of relief. "I see why they call you a prodigy, truly, to master the inquisitorial soul arts is a sig— hold on a second. Is aura something all huntsmen have?"

"Yes, all huntsmen get their aura unlocked so they can be protected when fighting the Grimm."

Juan closed his eyes and nodded. "I see." His uncaring attitude masked his frenzied mind. _The secret art of the Inquisition! Here! Mastered to such an extent as to allow headmasters the ability to catapulting students off cliffs, without the fear of getting pulverized by a mob of angry moms!_

"Juan Arc." She said his name in such a way, that he had to yield her all of his attention. "This isn't funny, activate your aura and start the healing."

 _I've met Shallyan healers with a less protective threat in their eyes!_ The Diestro let out a small laugh and placed an awkward hand behind the head. "Yeah about that…"

Her eyes became wide as plates. "You haven't unlocked your aura!?" She turned pale "... You could have died."

"Could! But fortunately, I had a beautiful girl looking after me." As expected, the banter gave Pyrrha some color back in her cheeks.

"Y-Yes, but you have to let me unlock your aura right now!"

 _Wait, wait, wait! A cute girl offering instant power is the subject of countless sermons on demonic possession!_ And yet her green eyes showed nothing but concern... _Curse me and my weakness for women!_ He gave her a nod of approval.

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos was not all that fond of fairy tales or fanciful stories

Some might be surprised by this, considering her fixation with destiny and how much of her life could be described as a legend by her sycophants. Granted, she herself felt jealous of the fictional heroes for getting friends and falling in love. A common trope in these fables had been the heroine's ability to see the soul of the person they unlocked, but Pyrrha along with hundreds of scientists, doctors, and researchers, had all come to the conclusion that this 'soul-viewing' phenomenon was nothing more than a myth. As such, she was rather befuddled at the dreamlike scene that appeared before her the moment she placed her hand on Juan's chest.

Dreamlike was an understatement though. A closer word for it would be 'incomprehensible'. And something within her told her that a true description would rely on words that did not exist in any real dialect of Remnant. What she could describe of the place, was that it seemed to be composed entirely of luminescent crystal. Not just that, but crystal that was in turn composed of... Equations. Equations, hymns, swear phrases Yes, _phrases_ not just words. All of these bound together into solid crystal and shifting much faster than the eye could hope to see. The only reason she actually realized what they were, was that something seemed to be planting the knowledge directly into her mind. Which was rather concerning, how knowledge simply 'appeared' in her thoughts.

She progressed further/later along the winding/straight path of crystal/thought/soul matter for a minute/millennia before coming across a memory/belief/light bubble. She was not sure when she began reaching for it, but she did, and nothing seemed to hap—

 _["UNHAND ME YOU BLIND FOOLS! DO NOT THINK YOU CAN HIDE FROM THE TRUTH!" So screamed the newest heretic dug out of his hole within fair Magritta. Juan was the only one who could hear him, as the guards dragging the heretic along had already stuffed their ears, and the crowd's howling kept them deaf. Alas, such was the burden of fame, someone in good standing had to see to the defense. "DON'T YOU GET IT!? EVERYTHING WE KNOW IS NOTHING BUT LIES!" That defense being they were indeed burning a filthy heretic and not some bloke who slept with a noble's daughter._

 _A grim-faced Inquisitor stood beside the pile of the wretch's blasphemous writings, ironically laid between the oiled branches so they could burn with their writer, thus ensuring that the heresy was purified from Myrmidia's favored city. Some might have critiqued the Inquisitor for not showing glee at the impending doom of one who willfully turned from the Light of Myrmidia; that was if they dared to criticise a member of the Inquisition and promptly experience the sacred fires themselves."OUR ACTIONS IN LIFE ARE MEANINGLESS!" For the citizens present, this was likely the first heretic that they knew to be fully Astarios-Estallian by birth. In truth, there were easily dozens of Estalian heretics hiding in Astarios at any given time, but this was merely the only one made public, as the heretic had no family ties and as such was the perfect propaganda piece to show that no heretic was safe from the stake. "FEAST ON SIN! NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, ALL CAN FIND TRUE PEACE!" The Inquisitor had to be tired, his sorrow compounded by the sight of yet_ _another_ _who turned away from Myrmidia's glory._

 _Juan let out a sigh, regardless, they had finally reached the pyre. He looked over his shoulder and nodded at the two nervous guards, who quickly began strapping the struggling apostate to the oil-soaked wood while doing small signs of prayer. The sorrowful Inquisitor walked up to the bound madman. "By the holy authority bestowed upon my title of Inquisitor. I, Tomás de Vaga_ _,_ _hereby accuse you; Adrián de Magritta, of blasphemy. Do you deny this?"_

"KAHAHAHA! BEGONE SLAVE OF DOGMA! I SAID IT IN THE WHORE COURT AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN: I WILL RATHER BURN A THOUSAND TIMES THAN DENY THE TRUTH!"

 _The inquisitor pushed up his dwarf-made glasses and revealed cold eyes empty of pity. "Very well, heretic. If damnation to the 9th plane of arrogance is what you seek." He threw away his coat, causing jubilation to go through the masses. "Then I shall gladly send you there."_

" _ALL GODS; GOOD OR EVIL, ARE CREATED BY THE WINDS OF MAGIC! EVEN OUR VERY SOULS!"_

" _Enough! Guards! Set ablaze this heretic, so his sinful tongue can be silenced for good!"_

" _ALL THAT MATTERS IS WHAT WIND YOUR SOUL IS MOST CONNECTED WITH! LIKE A MOTH DRAWN TO A FLAME, YOUR SOUL WILL SEEK— AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGHHHHHHH!" The guards had quickly obeyed and ignited the oiled wood. Much to the dismay of Juan, who felt the empanadas sneak back up his throat as the stench of burning flesh enveloped the area._

 _The Inquisitor turned around with a flourish. "The tainted flesh of the heretic is burning!" A cheer erupted throughout the plaza, deafening the screaming apostate. "Oh blessed Myrmidia! You who are perfection incarnate, we humbly pray that you will bless the faithful today who have beheld your judgement on the heathe—"_

" _Heh… Hehe."_ _A barely noticeable sound took Juan's attention, and he followed it back to the burning apostate, who stared back with piercing eyes, free from madness._

" _ **You will see firsthand, what I mean, Pyrrha Nikos."**_ _]_

* * *

Authors ramblings

Savage Theron: Salutations readers and welcome to the authors' ramblings! First I and Solar wanna thank you for reading these very words, it means you've given a chance and that's a wonderful thing.

Second I wanna give a shout out to everyone who has followed and favorited it, all of you rock and shows that the story is not complete trash. I've actually begun a thing, where I favorite the newest follow/favorite so I always remember our fic whenever I check my mail.

Now onto the Reviews!

 **The Many :** I bet in all of Ozpin's very long life he never saw something like that before haha! Yeah Jaune's going to be just fine, maybe even get laid here and there.

Savage Theron: No way has he seen a student behave in such Zorro-esqu way! And this is still the beginning!

Solarblaster: Shame on you for suggesting that. There are RULES here.

 **Shashenka :** Hahaha I loved it that was hilarious! Thanks for continuing this i've really enjoyed it thus far!

Savage Theron: Our aim is that every chapter we upload, surpasses the previous!

Solarblaster: The real fun has not truly begun…..

 **Abel Sephaos :** Please, for the love of my soul, continue this!

Savage Theron: It's funny that he mentions 'soul' doncha think, Solar?

Solarblaster: (Whoopee cushion noises)

Savage Theron: Dammit Solar! You know how important the nature of the soul is for the stor- ah forget it.

 **Ayman El Kadouri :** comfirmed port battel arms brother

Savage Theron: Damm straight a true manly bond, forged in the fires of battle!

Solarblaster: That was one thing that the Great Mutator could not hope to alter

 **TheMightyMorgoth :** Just finished reading the second chapter (although I'll probably reread it tomorrow since I'm extremely tired right now) and I did have a couple lore related ideas/references for you to use. But before I gt to that, I must praise you for your choice of both Warhammer Fantasy (considering most Warhammer fanfics, especially crossovers) are 40K, and your choice of faction, for I have rarely seen a story about Tilea or Estalia.

First, when Juan first meets Cardin, could you possibly make a Borgio the Besieger reference (due to the massive maces the two characters use), hell both even wear a sort of bronze armor (albeit the only bronze on Cardin's armor is the bird).

And second, do you think it'd be plausible to have Juan be a bit wary/hostile towards the faunus, while not a fanatic of the Empire, all humans (save for the savage Northmen) abhor mutants, especially those of the bestial variety. No doubt Estalia has faced its fair share of beastmen raids and assaults, and I highly doubt someone who understands (or at the very least has seen the horrors of the world of Warhammer) would so easily accept the faunus as non-mutants.

Thank you, please continue writing this excellent work.

Savage Theron: Ey thanks, my friend! I shall personally see to it that the reference is written down, once our Faunus hating mace wielder gets attention from our Diestro. In fact, Solar has some kind of plan for Cardin in the future.

Ah, you've noticed his 'open-mindedness' to the Faunus have you? I guarantee you it will be explained in depth in future chapters. Because let's be honest, Velvet will ask about it no matter what. (while a certain cat-eared girl might sneak a listen or two.)

Lastly, I will, and you too brother! Remember to start writing on your own fic!

Solarblaster: (Snarls) Cardin in canon is just a hatesink! He is BORING. Time to change that.

 **Huesped :** Simply wonderful. Consider me utterly satisfied with both the edit and the new chapter.

I was about to comment on the whole shameful clothes burning scene being a tad silly, but then again, I can't exactly say what my actions would be after finding a rabbit-coded wardrobe as my sole posession. Besides, it worked as the catalyst to the newly forged-in-battle Arc/Port friendship, so it can only be called a cause for celebration!

It's good that the faunus/beastmen issue was adressed early, and it reinforces the good judgement of having a well-travelled estalian diestro as protagonist. I can only imagine what a shameful scene would have been created had this story followed the sorts of the uptight bretonnian, the supersticious and narrowminded man of the Empire, or heavens forbid, the kislevite.

Savage Theron: *Glances nervously to Solar* Should we tell him that this is only the beginning? Seriously though thanks for your review, Huesped!

Ay, it was a tad silly, but I say a lot of different factors played into the 'sudden' outburst, like being stuck in an unfamiliar situation and then only having bunny wear. (Honestly, it was Jaune's full body pajama that caused the snap.)

Glad to hear you saw the reasoning behind it! After all, no narrow-minded Estalian could ever survive traveling in the Sigmar worshipping empire lol!

Solarblaster: That's only the prissy south. Up North is where the manly men of Ulric are. But in practice they are the same for an Estalian. All villages practice the same 'greeting' reserved for strangers.

Savage Theron: A greeting our Diestro is _most_ familiar with after his travels.

 **Which Brew :** This is highly entertaining. It's an interesting mix of Warhammer, but beyond that its well written and highly entertaining. Paragraph structure is fine and I didn't see any grammatical issues. I am eagerly awaiting more.

Savage Theron: I'm glad the grammar was decent, I personally loathe when the grammar is so terrible that it ruins the story. (Which is why I'm awed people even bothered with my first chapter pre-edit!) Still, we are all growing as writers, and I do hope I can continue to keep your approval.

 **Edit 19-05-2018:** A reader told that the overuse of bold words gave him cancer, and since we get enough cancer just by living, I decided to change that. Remember fellas every critic is apricated.

 **Edit 23-05-2018** : Removed the citation marks on thoughts on the behest of a reader. Thanks again for the advice! And never forget that your feedback is never wasted!


	4. Chapter 4

_… So to sum it up; what we call extremism is what the Estalians call normal, and what they call extremism, is what we call insanity._ _—_ The Realms of the South: Estalia, land of glory, faith, and swordplay. Written by Eberhardt Festcrift, Chancellor to the University of Altdorf.

* * *

The vision shattered and Pyrrha Nikos fell into something soft. _So tired…_ She tried to open her eyes but found that all her strength had mysteriously disappeared… _I must have dreamt the whole thing up._ The champion felt a measure of reassurance that she could probably have another try at befriending Juan, and went back to sleep in her bedroll. Which a part of her mind noted felt less like a bedroll, and more like relatively soft flesh, and that she was rather upright. _Wait a minute…_

"Amazing." An accented voice disturbed her slumber, and she forced open her eyes to find herself in the arms of Juan Arc. "I must admit, Nikoritã _,_ that this feeling is akin to no other!"

 _I WASN'T DREAMING!?_

The inappropriate nature of the situation she found herself in drove her to scrounge up whatever strength was in her limbs to get back on her feet. Yes, She was lonely, but this was _too soo_ _—_ not the right way to start a relationship. Pyrrha could tell that he was _well-versed_ in these sorts of matters, and it would mar her chances of getting a friend if she made him think she wanted to go further than that, so she pushed him away, but this caused her to fall down as she had no strength left in her legs whatsoever.

"Woah there!"

Or she would have, had not the lightning-quick reflexes from the blond grabbed her and swiftly taken her back into his arms.

"Are you feeling ill, Pyrrha?" He pressed a hand on her forehead.

 _Is this really the same person who witnessed an execution without flinching?_ She opened her mouth to ask, but then she froze when he stroked her ponytail.

"Listen if there's a reason why you can't tell, then I understand completely. However for now just rest and gather your strength."

The kind words calmed her and she looked up to see gentle blue eyes that no evil person could have. _They can't be the same, I refuse to believe it._ She nodded and coughed to ease her dry throat. "It's nothing Juan, just aura unlocking fatigue."

"Hah... Silly girl, you could have told me that!" Juan's cheekiness returned and he swiftly started ruffling her hair. "Then we could have done it later, idiot!"

"H-Hey, you needed to heal your wounds."

"Miss, I've dealt with foes far more terrifying than the riff-raff in this place and far more beaten up at that. If you knew you became this tired then you really shouldn't have done it."

"I'm sorry... I did not expect you to have this much aura."

"Does that have anything to do with how fatigued you are at the moment?"

She nodded. "It's like opening a door with something in front of it. The more aura a person has, the more weight is placed in front of the door."

The blond noble gave a devilish smile. "And let me guess. My 'aura' was akin to opening a door to a room filled to the brim with sand?"

"Y-Yeah that's a pretty good way to describe it. How did you know?"

"I'm a unique soul among my peers; few have achieved what I have, and none are as ambitious as myself!" Juan said it with spread out arms and a wink.

However, she was not impressed. "That's a rather arrogant thing to say."

He raised up a finger and wriggled it disapproving at her. "Arrogant is a term used by my enemies, Nikoritã. No, I'm simply at peace with my obsession. All great men must be obsessed with something, the scholar his books, the knight his code, the astronomer his stars."

"... And what are you obsessed with?" Pyrrha's voice came out timid. It felt like whatever answer he gave would either destroy her fears or reinforce them.

"The restoration of Myrmidia's Empire! I will become the hero that restores it!" He raised up a hand and clenched it into a fist, causing a brilliant white light to envelop it. She felt how he almost dropped her in shock as he stared at the glow. "... And it would seem my that 'aura' is a testament to that..." A power hungry grin spread over his face. "Hysh… The White Wind of Order!"

* * *

Ozpin grabbed his chest as sudden pain emerged.

"Our last pair has been formed, sir." He felt Glynda walk up to him with her head in her scroll. "Nora Valkyrie and Lie Re— Ozpin, are you alright?"

The pain disappeared as quickly as it came, and he felt himself being able to formulate an answer. "... Must have been the loss of the last cup that got to me." He looked to Glynda for a reaction, but she merely pushed up her glasses uncaringly. _Cold as stone, sometimes I wonder why James has a thing for you._ His eyes went back to the pair he had been watching on the scroll. "Glynda, would you please go to the feed of Mr. Arc and Ms. Nikos."

Glynda turned back down to her scroll and let out a gasp. "P-Professor Ozpin!"

"No, they are not making out. Go to camera 2."

She swiped a finger over her scroll. "...He's holding her up?"

"That is correct."

"Why?"

"Aura unlock fatigue."

"You must be joking! Pyrrha Nikos is a child prodigy and you would have me believe that this 'Jaune' fellow managed to tap her of all her strength!?"

He felt her glaring at him from the side, but he was far too preoccupied with the amusing scene on his scroll to care. "He's now carrying her like a newlywed bride."

Glynda's scroll fell to the ground and broke. "What is he?" It came out as a whisper, but he heard it nonetheless and chuckled.

"Shall we find out?" He pressed on top of his scroll and the loudspeakers gave sound to the distinguished pair.

* * *

 _This place is amazing._

Juan Arc was experiencing the dream of any hot-blooded Talabeclander male, a rather relaxing stroll through tranquil woods without having to watch every flickering shadow for a Brayherd or some other nameless monstrosity. The wind fondled his hair, birds sang in the trees, and a fine redhead was in his arms. Yes, he would make sure that this was a well-known part of his legend, so he could bask in the jealous glares of those tree-fondlers.

"L-Let me down, Juan!"

He let out a blissful sigh and looked down at the blushing girl. "Now now, Nikoritã. You should enjoy the experience! An incalculable number of female authors have written about this very situation."

"Yes, b-but this is different!"

" _Really?_ " His voice dipped into fake confusion. "A marvelous young heroine in the arms of a dashing duelist! Seems to me that we fit those criteria, no? _"_

"Well yeah, but…"

" _You don't find me dashing?_ "

"No, it's not that! You're kind, courageous, and It's just all so sudd— you're teasing me aren't you?"

The Diestro let out a heartfelt laugh. "Did you know, you're really cute when you flustered?"

She blushed harder as he expected, but instead of turning happy, she turned miserable. "Please, let me down."

The green eyes that she now had was vulnerable, too vulnerable, and it made him feel sick. "Pyrrha." He knew what he had to do. "I swear on my noble name, that yes I do find it pleasant to carry you, but I'm doing it because there is no place safer for you than in my arms." He let go of the teasing, the arrogance, the intensity and said the truth from his heart.

This did not go unnoticed by Pyrrha, whose expression went through a lot of different emotions before finally stopping on a soft smile. "Okay, I trust you."

He smiled back at her. "And I will live up to that trust."

"Good." She relaxed in his arms. "Then what more can a girl ask for?"

The serious attitude evaporated and he felt at ease."Hey, does that mean I can start teasing... You..."

"What's wrong?"

"... Tighten your stomach."

"W-Why?"

"Shut up and do it!"

He felt her tighten her body and threw her over his left shoulder.

"J-J-J-J-J-J-JUAN!?"

"Quiet, I'm trying to concentrate."

"B-B-B-Bu _—_ "

 _Damnit how many are there!?_ His eyes searched to the left, where the view revealed something that countless males must have dreamt of seeing. _She wears them black… Can't have distractions on the battlefield, though._ He reached for the mini skirt.

"B-B-But t-t-th _—_ AAAH!?"

And pulled it back down, so it could once again cover her modesty.

"... D-Did you see it?"

"Yeah, nice choice."

"Oh, that's a relief, I was sure you saw my pa—"

His audacity paid off and the pretty girl on his shoulder froze completely, giving him enough time to notice a bush briefly move against the breeze. _Found you._

"YOU DID!?"

The Diestro felt his blood pump and unsheathed his blade. "Let's make a deal, Nikoritã. When the birds start singing again, I'll put you down. How does that sound?"

"YOU UNBELIV— Wait, what are you talking abo—"

A Beowolf jumped out of the anticipated bush set on cleaving Pyrrha's head off. He shot to the side with a crescent turn, causing the Grimm to miss and fumble _,_ and slammed his sword down through the Grimm's neck, pinning it to the ground. _This is a picnic compared to Lustria's jungles where the birds kept singing cheerfully as one was attacked by all manners of carnivorous reptiles!_ The Conquistador arose from his bend knee with a chuckle and pulled the blade out from the dead monster. "I must thank you, Pyrrha." He threw his sword up in the air and looked over his shoulder to the shocked girl.

She raised her hands and rubbed her forehead as if her head was hurting. "You… How… When did you... Never mind, why are you thankfu— SWORD!"

The sword came spinning back down, but he had anticipated it, and casually held the scabbard out to the side. Just in time for the blade to fall down and sheath itself perfectly into place."Why I must thank you for being my first girl to have on my shoulder as I kill something!"

He sent the last word off with a wink, and Pyrrha's face went again through all kinds of emotions before settling on a blank expression. "...You really like showing off, don't you?"

"Now you are starting to get me, haha!"

"Ugh… Why couldn't I have partnered up with someone normal."

"Hah! Like we're not having the times of our lives right now!"

She smiled and let out a sigh. "I guess you're right, but I do wish you could turn it down just a 'little' bit."

"Well, then I have great news for you! Try and listen closely to our surroundings."

Her green eyes blinked with confusion before widening in happiness. "The birds are singing!"

"Correct! So as a true man I will enact my promise."

He placed her down gently and Pyrrha lit up like a small sun. "Thank you... You're a real gentleman you know that, Juan?"

"I merely try to surpass what is expected of me."

"So how did you know I had the strength to stand?"

"When you managed to tighten your stomach."

"Ah, I see. Well, thanks again for— YOU WHAT!?" She pointed a judging finger at him with a flustered face. "You could have let me down before the Beowolf attacked and you still held onto me!?"

"Hey now, look at it from my perspective, when would I ever have the option of holding a pretty girl like yourself in my arms?"

The blush that emerged made Pyrrha's face appear redder than her hair, and she looked down to fix her skirt. "... I might be okay with it if you ask me about it when we're alone…"

Juan felt happiness swell in his chest. "You mean that!? Truly, Myrmidia has blessed me more than any man in history!" For some reason, his partner began to fondle her skirt even faster. _Yeah… This place is without a doubt, amazing._ A euphoric sigh escaped him. "Pyrrha Nikos."

She stopped and looked up at him with curious green eyes. "Yes, Juan?"

He flashed her a true Estalian grin. "I'm happy we became partners."

Her eyes widen before she gave him a smile that was akin sun's warm rays. "I feel the same way."

* * *

Silence, utter awkward silence filled the cliff top where Ozpin was furiously looking at the forest below. "Glynda, has our deranged student finally stopped putting Ms. Nikos in indecent positions, or does actually wish to send us both to Jail?" He never thought it was possible for so many things to go wrong in one day. First his last cup of cocoa had somehow evaporated into thin air, then Pyrrha Nikos had gotten herself partnered up with Jaune Arc, whose immense aura reserves where only outmatched by his sheer delusion, and lastly, that same dual personality nut-job had almost shown them Pyrrha's undies when he threw her onto his shoulders. _If I hadn't reacted fast enough and closed the scroll, then I would have found myself in a cell with a bull Fanus named Brian!_ The only positive was that at least he found out who had dropped the armor in the bathroom.

"From what I can hear, it seems he has finally put her down."

Ozpin looked to his assistant, who was wearing headphones to _hear_ what was happening, instead of _seeing_ it. "Good then put the feed online, and let's hope that we won't have any more situations that could send us to jail."

"Sir, there was no mention of Mr. Arc suffering from dissociative identity disorder on his transcripts, so is it possible that it manifested afterward?"

"I'm unsure about that theory. Recall how he wrote that he was 'a badass knight', while now he has suddenly mastered a completely opposite fighting style. No matter how delusional one is, it will never give one the skill of a master."

"So Jaune Arc's condition is something not linked to psychology?"

"Precisely. This 'Juan' personality still uses the same last name, so it could be a semblance connected to ancestry."

"You're telling me that Jaune Arc's ancestor was a flirty swordsman?"

"Jaune Arc _does_ have seven sisters."

"... Touche, but I'm not sure we should let this 'Juan' personality stay this close to Pyrrha… What if he does something to her?"

"That will not happen as even with his surreal amount of aura. I still can't imagine him being able to overpower Ms. Nikos."

"True, but what if?"

"Then I expect you to show him what we do with filth."

Glynda nodded and a huge tree got ripped in half.

"Good, you understand my point. Now let's resume our watching before we draw any conclusions."

* * *

Juan shuddered. _Weird, I feel threatened... But there_ _are no foes around?_ He continued moving towards the bush where the Beowolf had emerged. _Could it be magi—!_ A familiar faint metallic smell touched his nostrils.

"Is something the matter, Juan?" Pyrrha's concerned voice ran out behind him.

"... Pyrrha how familiar are you with the consequences of conflict?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

He turned and faced her. "Can you handle seeing a corpse?" His voice came out more cold than her would have liked, but he had to be sure.

The red-haired girl flinched before nodding. "... I knew there was a risk, but I never expected it to happen so soon."

"Okay, but still… Prepare yourself." The Diestro did two quick cuts and the bush revealed its gruesome secret and Pyrrha gasped. A dead student laid in the grass, mangled to such a degree that pieces of his bowels could be seen atop nearby branches. Worst of all was the sheer look of despair on the student's pale face. He inspected the corpse and found the reason why the student had not screamed for aid. "The beast silenced him by stabbing its fangs into his throat, as the three wounds on his neck indicate."

"… I think he first depleted his aura and then landed next to the Beowolf, Juan."

"What makes you say that?"

"If you look at the tree further ahead, you can see it has a depression in the bark, meaning that the student flew into the tree before falling down into the jaws of the Grimm."

"Good observation. Now a moment of silence, please..." He crouched down next to the corpse with respect. As a faithful Myrmidian, he lacked the knowledge of Morr's burial rites, but even he knew a few classical prayers to the divine Patriarch of Dead. "Dabo pacem in Morr's velamen, fratre."

 _I give you peace in Morr's veil, brother._

He then placed a hand on the dead student's forehead and gently closed the boy's eyes, before doing the same on himself. A faint ruffle of grass sounded and he peeked open an eye to find Pyrrha mirroring his actions on the opposite side of the corpse. The swordsman gave a minuscule smile of approval, before closing his eye once more. "Mortem advenio, quemadmodum solis emergo unusque mane."

 _Death comes, just as the sun emerges each morning._

"Fac non pugna adversus illud. Haec quod tantummodo finis autem vestra obrussa in vitam."

 _Do not fight against it. This is merely the end of your life's test._

"Conpedes de delor religo tu heac mundus. Diminserunt eos evansecet in conqinitionis quod mortuus sollictus quie vester ratio."

 _Chains of regret bind you to this world. Let them disappear in the knowledge that you died striving for your ideal._

"Hic discipulus de Myrmidia, minimus ex ea Diestros, misit te ad amplexus ex ea pater."

 _This follower of Myrmidia, the least of her Diestros, sends you to the embrace of her father._

"Licet effodiant corvi congrego ut tu cedo imperium de Morr."

 _May ravens gather as you venture to Morr's realm._

A sense of tranquillity emerged, and Juan figured that his feeble attempt at prayers had pleased the watcher of bones. "It's done."

"That was a beautiful language you used, Juan."

"It is known as classical where I am from, said to be the very language of the gods, so some theologians theorize that prayers hold more sway if they are spoken in this manner." Now the prayers had been said, and thus the Diestro knew what to do next.

"Is that why you said it like th— WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

He stopped turning the corpse and looked to the redhead, who seemed strangely upset. "I'm looting the corpse for valuables." Juan then resumed turning the body over and smiled when he found something he had missed deeply beneath it.

"I thought you were all about respecting the dead?" Pyrrha asked incredulously.

"I am, but the dead has no need for weapons." He stood up and spun the gift from the deceased around in his hand. "But I do." A Tilean stiletto dagger glinted dangerously in the sunlight, and there was no doubt in his mind that the weapon was rejoicing over being wielded by a proper swordsman.

* * *

 _Dammit, now I have to do another emergency parent talk._ Ozpin let out the deep sigh that had been building since the initiation and pressed the mute button. "Glynda."

"Sir?"

"Prepare a message to Mr. Arc's parents about their son's condition."

"What about the dead student: Tony Hanser?"

"Oh yeah... Get Professor Peach to deal with that."

He unmuted the scroll.

 **"You kept mentioning 'Morr' when you prayed, Juan."**

 **"Morr is the god of death, so I was bound to pray to him in this situation."**

 **"I thought you worshipped, Myrmidia?"**

 **"I do. But I'm not so dim-witted to not pay any homage to her divine family."**

 **"Her divine family?"**

 **"Si. Myrmidia's family is made up of her father, Morr, the god of Death; her mother Verena, the goddess of Justice; and lastly her younger sister, Shallya, the goddess of healing. Myrmidia herself has the grandest honor as she is the goddess of civilization... But matters of religion is best spoken about under a starry night, so let's keep the subjects lighthearted from now on."**

 **"If you say so… Do you have siblings?"**

 **"I have two bro— argh, my head!?"**

 _He lost his accent?_

 **"Is something the matter, Juan?"**

 **"Urgh… Yeah, I've just gotten a huge headache all of a sudden… And to answer your question, Nikoritã, I have seven sisters."**

"Sir, did you hear?"

"Yes, I heard it."

 _The accent disappeared briefly, and he now suddenly remember his sisters… Could it be…_

 **"Must have been fun... I'm an only child."**

 **"Sorry to hear that. Did your father lose it in combat?"**

 **"Lose what in combat?"  
**

 **"Did he lose his ability to make babi— Pyrrha, does this aura stuff heal headaches? Because it feels like I got a Mousillon swamp worm eating my brain!"**

 **"If it's not a natural headache then it should help."**

Ozpin zoomed closer in on the boy, as what would happen next would either confirm or disprove his theory.

 **"By Myrmidia…"  
**

 _Bingo._

 **"T-Two auras?"**

A golden aura that closely resembled the foam that one could find upon waves, was now present on the boy's white aura.

 **"Aw man… I wanted to be known as _The Diestro Del Hysh_! But alas my soul resonates more with the likes of Bretonnian Paladins as it would seem..."**

 **"There there, Juan. Aura color has nothing to do with your soul, besides dual colored auras are quite rare."**

 _That is correct Pyrrha Nikos._ The Headmaster allowed a smile to come out. _But this is not the case here._

"What now, Sir?"

"Let's us not discriminate our students by showing favoritism, and resume to watch the other students, Glynda."

"If you say so, but what about the message to Mr. Arc's parents."

"Put it aside for now, as I have a theory about Mr. Arc's condition." He swiped to another video feed, showing Ruby Rose pointing at a Giant Nevermore atop a tree, while her partner, Weiss Schnee, was furiously shaking her head from side to side.

* * *

The charging Beowolf met a gruesome end, as Yang gave it an uppercut and then send it flying through the forest with a double blast from her shot-gauntlets, Ember Celica. "Did you see that, Blake!? Four trees with one Grimm! Ha! That's a personal record!"

"Should you really be so casual about this?" The sober voice of her newly made partner came out between gunshots.

"Lighten up, Blake! It's just— Hargh!" She shot her gauntlets and flew towards an upright standing Beowolf. "A minor warm up!" Her fist smashed into the Grimm's chest and made it into mush. "I got 3! How many did you get?"

"Are we really doing this, Yang?"

She turned and gave her black-haired partner a smirk. "We've killed all of them, so now we must do a countdown."

Blake sighed and stared back for a moment, before showing a mischievous smile. "I got 5 so that makes me the winner."

"Dang it!" She kicked a small pile of leaves, which made her partner break out into a small giggle. "I'll get you next time, Blake. Hope we run into some more Grimm on the way to the temple."

"We must be pretty close to the abandoned temple, so I wouldn't count on it."

"Aw…" They continued forward in friendly silence and saw an abandoned circular ruin further ahead. "Think this is it?"

Blake nodded. "Only an idiot would mistake the abandoned temple for something else."

* * *

"Are you certain this is the abandoned temple, Juan?"

"Certainly Nikoritã. Caves are natural made temples that only requires a few uplifting touches to complete. Why, If you look closely to the right side you can see tribal engravings resembling a bunch of people cornering a giant scorpion, so this must be some kind of cave-temple dedicated to an ancient scorpion deity."

"... I don't think so, Juan. It looks eerily close to a Deathstalker to me."

"Deathstalker?"

"Giant Grimm scorpion."

"Hm… Could be, but I fail to see the point, as there is no way this 'Deathstalker' could have gotten into the tiny entrance."

"Maybe they chased the Deathstalker into the cave, and sealed it off afterward?"

"Hah! I fail to see how any man could allow it, but if that's the case, then we'll do what the cowards could not and kill it!"

Pyrrha smiled at the boy's amazing confidence. "But then how are we supposed to go into the cave without any light to guide us?"

"Watch." Her partner went over to a nearby tree and took a branch; then he cut off a piece of his poncho and wrapped it around the top of the branch. Lastly, his hand went down into his blue pants and pulled out a lighter to set alight the cloth. The boy then turned to her with the newly made torch and gave a wink that made her heart flutter. "Come on."

She followed him as he went into the cave. _Is it starting to get warmer?_ They had walked for a short while when a gradual change in heat had happened. _Is it because I'm alone with him?_

"Pyrrha, do you feel that?"

She almost fell over. _He feels the same way!?_ She steeled her nerves before answering. "Yes, It's getting warmer."

"Yeah and for some reason my head is pounding once again! Argh! What is going on with me!? Suddenly, I feel regretful of my actio—" A huge stinger came rushing out of a side tunnel, aimed directly at her partner's head. Time seemed to slow down as the adrenaline coursed through their veins. The boy dropped the torch and pulled out his sword to pierce the incoming stinger with a horizontal stab. But only a person with a superhuman strength could ever dream to pierce the hardened exoskeleton.

 _NO!_ She activated her polarity semblance and pulled the sword with all her magnetic might. She had no idea if she made it in time as the stinger continued forward and caused a blinding dust cloud to appear. "JUAN!"

The torch hit the ground and time resumed to normal.

"Garghahaha!" A white and golden shockwave blew the dust away and revealed Juan holding death away by gripping the stinger-pierced sword on each side. "Was that metal manipulation I felt, Pyrrha Nikos!?" A crater was now around the blond boy, but he seemed to not care, as he was grinning madly with his mixed aura flaring around him. "You can explain to me your power over a cup of coffee, but for n— HAR!" He pushed up the stinger so it pierced the stone behind him, and pulled up his legs just in time to dodge a giant claw that aimed to decapitate his lower half. "But for now, flee! As we can't fight in so little space!"

"I'm not leaving without you!"

The Deathstalker shrieked in fury and yanked out its stinger, and slammed the boy up in the stone ceiling. "DAMMIT, WOMAN! IF I DON'T SEE YOU RUNNING AWAY RIGHT NOW, THEN I'M TELLING THE ENTIRE SCROLL-NET ABOUT YOUR PREFERENCE IN LINGERIE!" Even after getting slammed up in the ceiling, her partner still wouldn't let go of his sword.

"I DON'T CARE! I'M NOT LEAVING WITHOUT YOU!"

Silence fell over the tunnel, and even the Deathstalker came out of the side tunnel to stare at her with ten glowing red eyes. The silence lasted about two seconds before Juan roared with laughter, triggering the Grimm back into action. "I've commanded veteran soldiers with less balls than you!"

"I-I don't have balls!"

"Yes you do, on that big chest of yours!"

She instinctively pulled up her arms to cover her chest. "What is wrong with you!?"

"Ah, spare me! It's just the minor concussion that is making me ramble... But seriously, If you don't run..." The blond dodged another claw attack and pulled up his legs to clasp them firmly around the stinger. "Then you die."

 _What does he mean by th— oh._ Pyrrha realized that the Deathstalker could no longer reach the sword-wielder, and even worse the Grimm realized that as well because its ten angry eyes shifted to her instead.

* * *

"Chess pieces?"

Yang nodded at her partner's words; Now that they had finally come to the ruin, it was obvious that the relics were chess pieces, in the way that each piece had been put on a stone pedestal. "Some of them are missing. Looks like we weren't the first ones here." She felt annoyed. _Has he already picked his relic and left?_

"Well… I guess we should pick one."

"Do you think what we pick will have any significance?"

"Since we're partnered up in pairs, and teams are made up of four, then I'm quite sure that our pick will be the deciding factor in who we form teams with."

"So... Matching pairs gets teamed up?"

"It could be like that, or it could be the pieces of different colors get put in one team." Her black haired-partner gave her a small smile. "If you want to team up with someone in particular, then you should consider the piece that _he_ is most likely to pick."

"Got it. Then I'll take the golden knight piec— hey, how did you know I want to partner up with a guy!?"

Blake looked back at her with cunning eyes. "You do? I had _no_ idea. Guess I got lu—"

A sound of an explosion followed by a shriek of a furious Grimm echoed out through the forest. "Blake, did you hear that!?"

"Yes, but I also heard your little sister somewhere above."

"What do you mea—"

"Heads up!"

 _Ruby!_ She looked up and saw the terrifying sight of her baby sister plummeting to her death. But then a red blur shot out of the forest and snatched her sister mid-air before flying into a nearby treetop.

"Did your sister just fall from the sky?"

"I—"

She didn't have time to answer as a struggling Ursa burst out of the forest with a ginger riding it's back. "Yeehaw!" The ginger then used her giant two-handed hammer to slam it into the Grimm's back like a massive riding crop. At the fourth hammer slam the Ursas spine finally caved in and the Grimm toppled over dead. Yang almost felt sorry for it, unlike the crazy girl that actually was sad. "Aww. It's broken."

 _Getting kinda crazy… I feel like I've seen her somewhere?_ A boy wearing green clothes came rushing out of the forest and then it clicked for Yang. _It's the pair from the locker room!_

"Nora… Please... Don't ever do that again." The boy was struggling to get his breath, and it was obvious that he had been running for quite a while. She focused her attention back on the hyperactive girl. _No way…_ And found that the girl had disappeared. She wasn't the only one that realized it as the boy started looking everywhere.

"I'm Queen of the castle~! I'm Queen of the castle~!" A voice out of nowhere started singing and Yang looked behind her and saw the ginger spinning around with a rook relic on her head.

"NORA!"

The girl stopped mid spin and did a soldier salute with a smile. "Coming Ren!"

"... Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?"

She rubbed her eyes and looked to her confused partner. "I—"

Another interruption came as the same Grimm shriek sounded out, and the world famous Pyrrha Nikos ran out of the forest with a huge Deathstalker chasing her.

"And did Pyrrha Nikos just run all the way here with a Deathstalker on her tail?... And isn't that Juan's sword in its stinger."

Yang's blood turned cold as her partner's words hit her. _Did he die while fighting the Deathstalker?_

"By Myrmidia. This is getting absurd even by my standards."

 _You're right, Juan. It's not like a simple deathstalker could kill yo— Juan!?_ She snapped her neck up to the treetop and saw the poncho-wearing blond walk out on a branch while carrying her little sister as if she were a newlywed bride. "J—"

"Juan!" The third interruption, this time by the lucky redhead that had partnered up with the blond, if the sword in the stinger of the deathstalker was any indication. yet, the most annoying thing was that the interruption caused both Juan and Ruby to look at Pyrrha while being completely oblivious of her and Blake.

"I'm alright, Pyrrha. The gods made me experience this… _Disgrace,_ so I could assist little Miss Rose here."

"Awww thanks, Juan!"

"I'm glad b—"

"Just run around in circles, Pyrrha."

"B-Bu—"

"No buts! Show me that those long legs of yours can be used for something other than looking pretty!"

 _Okay, now I'm starting to get pissed!_ Yang was unsure if it was the craziness, the interruptions, or maybe that tiny feeling of jealousy she was feeling, but something was making her grind her teeth.

The charming fencer gently placed down her smiling little sister on the branch. "Give me a sitrep why you fell down, Ruby."

"Got it! Weiss and I decided to try and sneak onto a Giant Nevermore. However, our attack failed when it flew away… While we were still on it."

He blinked a couple times. "So where is Weiss now?" Her little sister simply pointed up in the air, whereby the boy briefly looked up before nodding. "Aha, so this is the situation..." The blond noble then made his finger wet and pointed it up in the air. "So Ruby, what kinda Caliber does your rifle use?"

"Crescent Rose uses 50. DMG rounds."

"So smaller than 72. round bullets?"

"Pfhaha! No one uses round bullets, Juan. Everyone uses spitzer bullets in this age."

"Spitzer bullets?... But they fly at the same velocity as round bullets, yes?"

"No, actually they move 1.5 times faster than round bullets."

Had it been any other situation, then Yang would have smiled at seeing her little sister geeking it out with the blond, but this was definitely not the right time or place for that. "H—"

"1.5 Times faster!? But that would mea—"

"WILL YOU TWO STOP IGNORING ME!?" She reached her boiling point. One thing was the boy making her jealous with all the bride carrying and flirty comments about legs: it was a whole other thing for him to downright ignore her.

Ruby and Juan both turned around, and Ruby's face lit up in happiness. "Hey, Yang!"

She heard it, but she couldn't look away, because a pair of dark blue eyes had seized her. _Why is he staring at me like that?... Is it my red eyes?... Does he think it makes me look like a freak?_ To make matters worse, the boy hadn't said anything, but merely moved over to her little sister and began to whisper something in her ear.

"Yeah, she gets them when she's angry... Oh, _you do_? Hihi... Sure, give me a sec!" Ruby jumped down and rushed to her. "Big Sis!"

"Ruby?"

Her adorable sister gave her a tight hug. " _He said that you look stunning with those red eyes of yours, sis._ " One eyeblink, two eye blinks, and then the full meaning of the whispered sentence hit her. She looked up to the branch and saw the noble give her a smirk that made every previous flirter look like a dork in comparison. She subconsciously shifted the focus of her eyes to the ground before rushing them back up again, but it was too late, as the boy had already turned around and was looking up in the air.

"Ruby, there's an heiress we need to rescue."

"Got it, Juan" Her little sister stopped hugging her and activated Crescent Rose.

"With the wind speed, we're havi—"

The technical discussion faded away as Yang was distracted by bigger things, Namely, what had just happened between her and the boy. _Did I just lose a flirt staredown!?_ She could feel the superiority ooze out of him as he spoke to her little sister with his back turned. So she challenged him back with a fully focused glare in the back of his neck.

Juan Arc must have felt it because he gave her a bored one-eyed shoulder glance. 'I thought you gave up?' The was no voice, but Yang was sure, that was what his dark blue eye said.

 _I never give up!_

She met the eye with the same force, and he must have heard her because the boredom disappeared and his blue iris turned piercing. 'I've already beaten you, accept your loss with some grace.' It was not a silent sparring like they had done before, no, it was a downright war between them.

 _I'm not so easy and this is certainly not over!_

Unstoppable red met immovable blue, and Yang knew that he was fully focused on her; even while giving orders to her little sister. Then the single blue eye eased 'Good, I wouldn't have it any other way.' He gave her a wink before looking away.

She let out a silent cheer and started air boxing. _He's handsome and he's not backing down from my challenge! If it was just the two of us then we could have gotten some real fun going!_ A feeling of being stared at brought her out of the girl moment, and she noticed Blake was looking at her with a smug smile.

"Someone's in a good mood."

Yang felt her cheeks burn. "I—"

"Fire!" Juan's voice saved her, as Crescent Rose firing took everyone's attention. The bullet flew through the air and landed straight in the face of the flying Nevermore, causing it to drop the heiress from its grip. The fencer then casually strolled back to the tree-trunk, before turning and rushing forward to grab Weiss midair in the same bride carry as Ruby. Yang saw how the rescued girl now had a dreamy look over her face and unconsciously clenched her fist as the boy landed with grace. "Long time no see, my dear Ice Maiden."

"T-Thank you, Juan! You truly are a her—"

Juan threw Weiss onto her feet and rolled to the side to grab an incoming Pyrrha in the same manner. "Missed me _,_ Pyrrha?"

"It's tougher than it looks, Juan. We should regroup an—!?"

The red-haired girl got thrown onto her feet like Weiss, and the boy began walking toward the Deathstalker. "A simple 'yes' would do, Nikoritã." He went forward three steps before looking back at the champion. "Pardon my rudeness, Pyrrha. But that _accursed_ bug separated me from my sword." The blond boy said it with an unnatural frigid tone and resumed his walk forward. "And for some reason; that made me feel _infuriated_." Something caused Yang to shiver.

"... Is that why you kept holding onto your sword in the cave?" Pyrrha must have hit something intimate because the boy stopped completely.

"Yes... Even though I have never had a problem sacrificing my weapons, I was somehow unable to let go of that sword..."

 _He held onto the sword while it was stuck in a Deathstalker-stinger in a freaking cave!?_

"No matter, Pyrrha. This is the abandoned temple, so I give you the responsibility of retrieving our relic, while I shall _reclaim_ my sword _._ " Without any hesitation, without any fear, not even when the screeching Nevermore announced itself with a furious airborne vendetta, did it change the blond's tempo in his steps. The enraged Nevermore flew over the Deathstalker and threw out a hail of giant, man skewering, black feathers. Juan twisted his shoulder to evade the first incoming feather, then he started spinning while zigzagging, making him skirt around four feathers, before abruptly stopping to squat: dodging a fatal feather that would have severed him in half but now only caused a few severed hairs to drift down to the ground. The boy arose in front of the Deathstalker, only to see a delayed feather too late as it pinned his poncho to the ground.

"JUAN!"

The two monsters gave sounds of amusement: A frenzied caw from the Nevermore above, and a content clicking sound from the Deathstalker as it readied its stinger.

 _He's not gonna make it!_ Weiss must have thought the same because she took some kind of stance. _Maybe she can do someth—!?_

Fear... Fear was something Yang knew deeply. She had once found a clue that could lead her to her missing mother, so she had waited for her dad to leave the house before venturing into the forest with Ruby in a wagon, and then after hours of walking, she made it. An abandoned house stood in front of her, the same house her mother had once used as hunting lounge, but instead of her mother rushing out of the doorway to hug her, red burning eyes filled with hunger had emerged. Yang knew without a doubt that she and Ruby would have died that day if Uncle Qrow hadn't shown up in time to rescue them. She still sometimes had nightmares about it, but no matter how frightful it was, it was nothing compared to the terror she was feeling now. The red eyes of Beowolves had been scary, but the boy's abyss blue eyes were downright horrifying. Shee stopped breathing, and milliseconds turned into hours as the Deathstalker's stinger dove forward to kill the boy. A single glint annoyed her, and she looked above the blue-eyed demon to see a silver dagger nose-dive downwards.

 _He planned this._

The death glare evaporated into the warm eyes of an announcer, welcoming them to a grand spectacle.

 _He knew that if we freaked out and thought he got stuck, then the Deathstalker would think the same._

A grin that only a master plotter could show, broke free on the boy's face.

 _Juan Arc.  
_

He winked at her.

 _How much do you have hidden beneath that suave exterior?_

The dagger snipped the stuck poncho-piece and the boy sidestepped while his hands grabbed the incoming sword handle, and used the Deathstalkers own force to rip open it's damage stinger. The Deathstalker gave an agonizing wail over its destroyed stinger and Juan spun around in a blur before thrusting the entirety of the blade into its red arachnid eye. The wail surged up in pitch, before falling deadly silent, and Yang began to breathe again.

* * *

 _Ah, that felt good!_ Juan Arc smiled brightly as he turned to the pale onlookers. "Sorry about the scare! But I had to make sure you did not rush into the falling dagger!" Different expressions spread over their faces as answers. _Well, better than looking at me as if I were Emmanuelle the Disemboweler, I guess_. He then turned back to the beautiful scenery of another hated foe in the dirt. _A perfect execution! But maybe it would have been cooler if I grabbed the knife midair before severing off the stuck piec—!?_

He tried to pull out the sword but found it firmly lodged into the dead Deathstalker. _No, You gotta be kidding me!? Dammed bug-wannabe! You're not keeping my sword!_ Even though he used all his strength could muster _,_ the sword didn't move an inch. _Well this is awkward, but I guess, I have no choice…_ He then jumped up on the Deathstalker and used his legs, and arms to pull the long-sword with all his might. _Not only did you make me spew the most inappropriate comment about Pyrrha's bosom! You're even forcing me into this crude action!? Why if you weren't dead already, I wou—!?_

Like a scene out of a bad comedy, the sword suddenly became light as a feather and he flew up in the air before slamming down into the ground _. D-Did this just happened? Well, it can't get any worse than this._ The sound of Yang's laughter proved him wrong, and the rest of the group followed shortly after. He tried to keep himself from cracking, but the sway was too much and he joined in as well. Laughter filled the area and the blond Diestro noticed the clouds above in the blue sky. _Thank you, Myrmidia._ He pulled his legs up to his chest, and then kicked himself up onto his feet. _Even though I'm quite confused about myself at the moment._ Now arisen, he strode towards the group at the circular ruin while picking up the dagger from the ground.

" _Psst_ , Arc."

A feminine voice came out of nowhere and he jumped up in the air. "Dammit Nora, my heart!"

"That's what you get for scaring us girls! Mhm!" She placed a closed fist on her hip and held the colossal two-handed hammer over her shoulder. "But luckily for you, I'm in a good mood, so I, _Queen Nora,_ will let you off the hook, IF!" He blinked and now the Ginger with the strength of five ogres had a golden rook piece in her hand. "You take _this_ as your relic!"

 _I would have preferred the knight piece, but a golden tower suits me just fine._ Juan Arc reached out to take it, but then a memory hit him. "I have to see what relic Pyrrha picked."

"You mean the pale girl back there?" She tiptoed to the side and revealed Pyrrha Nikos marching toward him. "She was about to grab a relic, but then you went all scary-like."

The red-haired girl was looking at him with an expression stuck between concern and judging. _Why do I feel like scaring her was the last thing I should have done?_ She reached him. "Is something wrong, Pyrrha?" He did not like how her green eyes were looking at him, it was the exact same way she had looked at him after unlocking his aura.

"We need to have a serious talk after this."

"Sure... Over a cup of coffee?" He flashed a grin but she did not respond and turned to walk away. _Tsk seems like I have to do a bit of mercenary work to earn myself a nice sack of silver coins to treat her something nice._ He smiled over the challenge that the cute red-haired girl had provided him, but then something important came to mind. "Can I still trust you with my back?"

She turned and glared at him. "Excuse me?"

Blue eyes glared back. "I must know that whatever I have done to earn your dislike, does not interfere in our partnership." He couldn't resist to try and cut the tension and gave her a smile. "Besides, I'll bring back that cute smile of yours one way or another!" The serious girl turned without responding, but he felt that he had succeeded in easing the tension a bit.

"Pfft women, amirite?"

"Yeah but that's why we love th— Nora!?" The Noble had completely forgotten the hammer wielder.

"That's me! Here you forgot this." She handed him the golden rook piece. Which he accepted without any objections, and after a short walk, they reached the rest of their companions.

"Heya, handsome! That was quite the _sting_ you gave to that Deathstalker."

"Yeah, that was so AWESOME! But I'm still not sure where the dagger came from?"

"He threw the dagger up in the air, while he was spinning around."

The analytic voice from the green wearing boy shocked him. _He saw me do it!?_ He quickly regained his composure. "Nicely spotted, Ren. As expected of my rival." He grinned to the green wearing boy, who on the other hand looked at him like he had done something foolish.

"Arc, do you know what attracts Grimm?"

 _Attracts Grimm? Surely it must be the flesh of living beings._ Yet, something told him there were more to it. "I must admit that unsure about the answer."

"Negative emotions."

 _Oh._ A severe change in everyone's faces made him dread the worst and he looked behind him to see an incalculable number of red eyes gleaming back out of the forest. "I'm sorry, Pyrrha. But I'm afraid that I must withdraw the promise of a chat over coffee."

"What do you mean?"

He pulled out his sword and dagger and glared back at the swarm of red eyes. "It was my ignorance that caused the situation, and it will be my responsibility that makes you all return home safely."

"J-Juan?"

"You can't be serious!?"

"Screw that! You're coming back with us!"

The Diestro frowned at the enraged girls. "I will not have your deaths on my conscious! Retreat while I hold them away as long as I ca— Pyrrha!?" His weapons flew from his hands to his nearby partner.

"You've promised me a chat over a cup of coffee, so you won't get your weapons back until then." Out of the blue, Pyrrha had apparently lost her beef with him and was looking back at him with warm eyes.

"Nice going, Pyrrha! I was about to knock him out myself!"

"Woooow… She can control swords."

"No, Ruby. I'm quite sure she has a magnetic semblance."

The correction from Weiss brought him out of the bewilderment. "Are you insane, woman!? There's a horde of Grimm preparing to charge us! Give me back my weapons, so I can die with honor!"

Pyrrha simply smiled and turned to Nora. "Could you please carpet bomb those Grimm?"

 _Carpet bomb?_

"You felt up Magnhild with your semblance without asking!? How rude!" Nora spun her hammer around and somehow caused its handle to slide into the hammerhead, turning the weapon into an oversized gun of some sort. "But I'll forgive you for it this time, future partner!" She fired the weapon in quick succession, and pink canisters flew out toward the forest, consuming it in six powerful pink explosions that caused the trees to fall into a makeshift barricade.

Juan was actually graceful to Pyrrha for taking his weapons, because he would have dropped them out of shock _. I have so many questions, but I swear I'm bringing back a copy of that weapon for Tim! Last I heard he moved to Ostland and signed up as a Maneater there. Meaning I would have to find a way to sneak it past associates of the Imperial Gunnery School and the College of Engineering, which means avoiding the road through Pavarron to Reikland. Not that I would have gone that way though, the tolls are obscene and I don't mind fighting off Greenskins, unlike the merchants._ The thrill of discovering a new powerful weapon disappeared under the seriousness of the situation. "Okay everyone, listen up!" Every pair of eyes turned to him, and he felt the exhilaration of authority once again. "Nora here has just given us a small gap to go over tact—"

"Juan."

"-ics, therefore, it's crucial that we each give a summary of our strengths and weakness so I can put my Myr—"

"Juan."

"-midian tactics into action. Now, I am a Diestro, which means I'm more of a single target specia—"

"Juan."

"Yes, Blake! What is it!?"

"The giant Nevermore is circling back."

The Diestro followed the eyes of the black-haired girl, and true enough the avian Grimm was closing in. "... Then the scale of power has tipped to our enemies advantage, thanks for the observation, Blake."

"Your welcome."

"Uh, Juan, our mission is to grab an artifact and make it back to the cliffs… We don't have to fight these things."

He snapped to the scythe wielder. "That flying abomination almost claimed the lives of both you, and your partner?"

"I know."

"Then you would let such a thing live!?"

She met him with firm eyes. "I will not risk my friend's lives if I don't have to! Besides there's a bridge with a ruined tower leading straight to cliff not too far from here."A group cheer was heard, but the blond's thoughts took priority.

 _She follows 'that' philosophy, I see._ Someone mentioned his name and everyone turned to him. He smiled at that and especially on what he would do next. "Then lead the way, Ruby."

From her shocked expression, that was the last thing she had expected to hear from him, and the like water in a collapsing dam her happiness flooded out. "I will! C'mon everyone! Follow me!"

She started to run, and Juan Arc, like the rest of the group, joined in right behind her. _You're still naive, however, If my theory is correct then an event will soon occur, that will give you a small lesson._ He slowed his speed so he came right next to the green wearing boy. "Prepare yourself for combat when we reach the tower." Ren looked at him for a moment, before nodding. Blake, who was further ahead, suddenly glared back at him and with judging amber eyes. It caught him off guard, but he concluded it was just a coincidence, after all. His low voice could only reach his intelligent rival, and not the black bow wearing girl further ahead. He gave her a smile, and she glared back harder, before looking away. _Tsk, what a strange girl._

The cliff and the weird bridge-tower building that Ruby had talked about, came into view. A furious shriek sounded out and the Giant Nevermore flew over them and landed upon the ruined tower. _I love it when everything goes according to plan!_ He grinned like a wolf and took action. "Listen up everyone! I want pairs together an— SPREAD OUT!" They ran to cover behind some stone pillars, just as the Grimm flew up and unleashed a barrage of spear-sized feathers. "I want that oversized chicken on a plate! Nora bomb it!"

"You got it!" She jumped out of cover and fired a couple of canisters on the bird, causing it to fly away.

"Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Blake, you four rush atop the tower and find a way to bring down the Grimm! Ren, Nora, Pyrrha, you three provide cover fire!"

"What about you?"

Grimm howls sounded out behind them.

"I'll deal with the chaff! NOW GO!" He grabbed Pyrrha and pressed her against the pillar as the others rushed forward.

"J-Juan?"

"I'm giving you command, make sure that the Nevermore do not shatter the bridge, or we will all die here, afterward you three join me as we hold the line in front of the bridge."

"Of course!"

"Oh and one last thing." He snatched his weapon from her hands with a wink. "Don't die, because I hate drinking coffee alone." She answered back with a smile and ran after the group.

 _So…_

He walked out in the open and tested the sharpness of the dagger on his finger, before healing the cut with a grin.

 _How many can I kill before the cavalry arrives?_

A Beowolf rushed out and attacked with a clawed hand, but he placed all strength into his back legs and slid the dagger in between the Grimm's fingers, causing its arm to split in half, the Beowolf roared in pain, only to be swiftly silenced with a stab through its open mouth with the longsword.

 _One!_

He jumped up in the air in a corkscrew jump and beheaded a smaller two-legged Grimm upon landing.

 _Two!_

Guns and explosions sounded out behind him, giving music to the battlefield, and a boar-like-Grimm challenged him by pawing the ground with its forefeet. He could not resist the urge to imitate the Estalian Torero and sheathed the dagger while pulling off his poncho as a makeshift bullfighter cape. "Come piggy! A death above your rank awaits!" The Grimm charged forward, but he stood his ground and fluttered the red cloth in defiance. At last, the boar was within range and he twisted the cape to the side, revealing the concealed longsword behind it. Red eyes widen in realization, but it was too late as his longsword shot forward and pierced one of its four eyes.

 _Three!_

The Diestro ripped out his sword while dodging the boar that still kept going like a beheaded chicken. A drop was heard and he threw the poncho over his neck with a snap of the fingers. "¡Olé!" The same angry oink sounded out, and a second Grimm boar came out of the forest, this beast must have seen him kill its kindred because it was far more cautious. Juan eyed the beast with a frown."Tsk, another one? How _boar_ -ing." He chuckled at the terrible pun, but then the beast jumped up in the air and spun around on the ground like a held back wheel. "Okay, I take that back." The trigger was pulled and the boar spun towards the astonished scrawny blond. "Had I been more uninformed of the world-" He dashed to the side and stabbed his sword horizontally into the wheel of fur and bone. "Then you would have gotten me."

 _Four!_

The spinning boar pushed him back, but he held onto his longsword with both hands with all his strength could muster. "Alas, I've dealt with a wheel far more terrifying than you!" Actions into consequences and the Grimm fell over dead, its insides churn to bits by the sword. "However you were more of a challenge than your brother, at lea—!?" A duo of Ursa and Beowolf charged him, interrupting his musings. "A second more and I would have made this painless, SCUM!" He threw his long sword through the knee of the Beowolf and rushed to the Ursa. The bear swiped him with a black paw, which he nimbly crouched under and unplugged his sheat from his hilt. A roar of anger came, but it was silenced when Juan slammed the sheath into the Grimm's open mouth. He clicked the small button with a grin and strutted towards the downed Beowolf with his dagger. A disgusting sound of the shield springing forth in the mouth of the Ursa burst out behind him, but he cared not as he stamped down on the snout of the downed Beowolf, and stabbed the mutt in the eye.

 _Five, Six!_

More roars came and five two-legged Grimms charged out of the bushes, he sighed, threw the dagger up in the air, and pulled out his sword, before running back to the disintegrating Ursa. He grabbed the shield and threw it between the legs of the first Grimm, causing it to tumble and bringing down two others, but the last two jumped over the grounded Grimm and continued their charge. Juan smiled and strutted forward, the first Grimm bit the air, as he twisted to the side and decapitated it.

 _Seven!_

The second Grimm roared and blitzed towards his open flank, causing Juan to grin as the whistling sound of the plummeting dagger hit its mark. He turned around and went forward to the now dazed Grimm, and pulled out the dagger from its neck as it fell down dead.

 _Eight!_

A bored yawn escaped him, and he twirled the stiletto around in his left hand as the clumsy trio got back up again. The monsters growled at him like they were some kind of threat, and he smugly waved them over to prove it. They roared and charged at the same time. _These squig wannabes are nothing compared to the real thing!_ He coated his foot in aura and send the nearest Grimm flying with a mighty kick. Another jumped up in the air to bite his throat, but he used it against it and cleaved off its two defenseless legs with one swing.

 _Nine!_

He evaded the last Grimm by rolling onto its back and held it in place with a dagger stab, before carving out its exposed neck with his sword.

 _Ten!_

Then he did an acrobatic jump onto the beast on the ground and slashed its throat.

 _Eleven!_

Juan Arc admired the carnage like a painter, but then heavy footsteps grabbed his attention and he faced the forest once more. _I was starting to get bored, but something tells me that a challenge is on its way_. He dusted himself off and began walking towards his shield. Trees were uprooted to give space for the colossal Grimm closing in. Then the beast revealed itself, and an Ursa, unlike any of its kind, leaped out in the open. The Diestro gave a whistle and clapped approvingly. The Grimm in front of him was thrice the size of any normal Ursa and armored like a bone steam-tank with spikes everywhere, and even though it only had one eye, that eye was filled with knowledge and age. "Well met! Oh, Patriarch of the Ursai!" He did a mock bow to enrage the one-eyed Grimm, and more importantly to pick up his shield on the ground. The spiked Ursa arose onto its hind legs and gave ear-shattering roar that even caused shockwaves to appear. "SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH YOU OVERSIZED TEDDY BEAR!"

He threw the dagger with as much force he could muster, and it flew into the mouth of the Grimm. "Aah, much better." Juan casually clicked the shield-turned-sheath back onto his belt, while the Ursa further away was struggling with the knife inside its mouth. "Had you roared any longer, then I would have had to ask Weiss to heal my hurting ears with her beautiful singing… Preferable with my head on her lap, hehe." The Grimm spat out the dagger and looked at him with a one-eyed death glare that promised a slow, agonizing death. He smiled back at that and placed his left foot sidewise behind him. "Oh, don't look at me like that." The beast charged him, but he did not flinch as his right foot took its place in the front. "You started the duel when you attacked me with that irritating roar." Lastly, he raised the long sword to shoulder level so it was pointing horizontally at the incoming monstrosity.

 _Now, let my geometry finish you of—!?_

The one sound he dreaded, sounded out behind him.

"GIRLS!" He twisted his neck so fast that it pulled a muscle, but the pain was nothing compared to the sight he was seeing. The Giant nevermore had flown into the top of the tower and caused it to collapse while the girls were on it. A black bear pawn clubbed him from behind and send him flying through the air. He spat out blood while pain burned all over his back.

"JUAN!" Suddenly his face fell into something soft while his jaw slammed into something iron hard. "I'm sorry! I thought you could deal with Ursa Major alone s— _ah~_." He grabbed onto the rounded edge and pulled himself up. It would seem that Pyrrha had caught him with her body, and he was now currently holding onto something that he really shouldn't be holding. "J-J-J-J-" She turned redder than he had ever seen, but then strangely lost it in complete seriousness. "Concussion... Listen no matter what you do, do no—" He lost Pyrrha's voice as he saw a miracle manifest behind her. The four girls that should be falling to their deaths somehow broke every single law of physics and was jumping back up using the falling down ruble. _I see_. He started chuckling and pulled himself back to his feet. _I am in the company of heroes_. He softly took back his disgraceful hand and placed it caringly on the redhead's shoulder. His partner's confused green eyes looked back, and he gave her an honest smile as his aura flared up to heal him. "Sorry for the boob grab, Pyrrha. I'll let you slap me five times for that."

She recovered instantly and slapped him. "That was for making me worried."

The slap made stars appear, but he took it without complaining. "I guess I deserved i—!?"

Another slap, this time from her left, made planets appear. "That was for the grab."

"Okay, I get it! I get it!"

Pyrrha placed a finger on her lower lip. "We did have that _incident_ earlier in the forest…"

"Please don't! If you slap me again then I'll pass out!" He raised his hands up defensively to protect his hurting face.

The girl merely giggled. "That leaves me with three slaps left."

" _Ouch,_ yeah a promise is a promise... So what happened to the one-eyed Ursa, because it should have attacked us by now."

"Oh, Nora took care of it."

"What!?" He spun around and saw Nora sitting on the dead Ursa while Ren laid exhausted on the ground surrounded by a multitude of slain Grimm. "Nora! That was my kill!"

"You know the rule, Arc. One hit and you're out."

"True, that is what the Diestro dueling code says, however, in th— how in Myrmidia's sacred name, do you know that?"

"Don't sweat the small stuff, just turn around and enjoy the show!"

"This is no joking matter! Even though the girls are strong, they are still fighting for their li—" He turned around, and saw Yang jump into the mouth of the huge avian Grimm, and began to repeatedly shoot it in the mouth with her gun gauntlet. "-ves." Nora laughed behind him, but his focus was on the Giant Nevermore who was plummeting straight toward the rocky cliff side. "YANG GET OUT OF THERE!" His worry was unneeded because the cocky blonde jumped out the mouth just before it collided into the exposed rock, and to make matters worse, she was smirking far more than normal, meaning that she must have heard him yell.

 _Dammit, I will never hear the end of this._ He turned away before he made eye contact with Yang and focused on Ruby instead who seemed to direct the whole thing. She pointed at the falling down Nevermore and Weiss rushed forward in the same fashion she had done against him, and stabbed her rapier into the cliff, creating a massive coating of ice that shot up the cliff and froze the Grimm onto the cliff solid, leaving only its exposed head. Meanwhile, Blake threw some kind of gun-blade-rope from a pillar to Yang who caught it and stabbed it into another pillar, making the rope into a ballista. _What are they planning to fire? They have no ammunition… No way._ It would seem that his Estalian kin was mistaken, there was, in fact, people more insane than himself.

Ruby jumped up on the rope while riding her fully extended scythe like a pony, and then Weiss pulled the rope all the way back with a black rune circle. _Uh…_ The rune shattered and Ruby flew forward while spinning around like a buzzsaw. _I think Ren has a point about this not being Cathay..._ A mighty cut from the cute skirt wearing girl beheaded the Giant Nevermore in such dizzying fashion that not even the cliff was spared a huge horizontal split from the attack. The Diestro rubbed his eyes, as a cheer erupted but he remained silent and simply sheathed his weapon before pinching his arm. _So… Did that Crazy Skeggi shieldmaiden somehow curse me to their Valhalla when I died, instead of Myrmidia's court?_ He pondered the thought for a moment, before letting out an 'oh well' shrug, and joined in on the celebration. Open-mindedness did have its charms, especially in this situation. "Pyrrha could you do me a favor."

"Yes, Juan?"

"Could you please find the dead boy's dagger with your power? I kinda lost it when I threw it at the Ursa..." The girl gave him a deadpan glare before raising her hand threateningly. "Hold on! It's not for me! I was only borrowing it!"

"... Really?"

"Yes! It was sharper than any knife I had used before and with its dazzling decorations, I must conclude that it's some kind of family relic, and it would be sad to not return it to the mourning family." Pyrrha stared at him with a tiny open mouth. "Look forget I asked, I'll go and look for it mysel— huh?" She gave him a soft slap that was more like a caress.

"You should have told me that earlier." Pyrrha laughed softly and seemed completely appeased.

"Your right, but I don't know how to say this, but my head isn't really screwed on correctly at the moment."

"Well, it's screwed on good enough for me." She smiled and began to walk away while swaying her hips with every stride.

"Oi, Nikoritã!" Green eyes turned to him. "That counted for a slap!" The smile she had, turned into a laughter, and she nodded back happily, before proceeding onwards to complete his request.

"Look at you go, Casanova!"

He smiled at the odd nickname and turned to see Nora and Ren approaching. "I am but a humble Diestro, unworthy of that honorable nickname."

Nora simply giggled at that, while Ren joined him by his side. "I've noticed you don't treat Pyrrha Nikos like a celebrity?"

"First of all, the only knowledge I have of her fame is a few titles that Weiss revealed, and secondly..." A memory of a crying girl resurfaced. "I once differentiated a dear friend of mine, after I found out about her lineage. Of course, after I realized that fact, I grew a spine and pushed her down into a pond!" Nora's jaw dropped, while Ren simply stared at him like he was crazy. He laughed softly at their expressions. "Allow me to explain. You see, I had pushed her down into the pond before, and when I did that, I found out that she was the 7th niece of the King from a nearby screaming servant. So I passed out from the revelation, and shamefully ignored her for weeks, before my Master talked some sense into me."

[ _"I see my apprentice has figured out, who exactly we are guarding, and then I find him scared like a common coward... Hmf... You allowed a girl to shred tears, without the justification of keeping her from bigger sorrow, and you dare consider yourself worthy of becoming a Diestro!? Get out of my sight, trash!"]_

Juan flinched, as the chastisement still made him embarrassed. "Sadly, he kinda missed out on _how_ exactly I should go about making her happy… So I ended up pushing her into the pond for the second time."

"... You pushed your King's niece down into a pond because you thought it was the best way to make her happy?"

"I-I was eight years old, okay!"

The Ginger grabbed him. "TELL US THE STORY NOW!"

"Nora, release him."

"Aww…" She did as she was told, in the same manner, a child would give back a rented toy.

"Thank you, Ren, and some other day, Nora."

"Promise?"

"On my title of Diestro."

"Yay!"

He laughed at the girl's happiness and spun around. "Now are you two coming, or do I have to congratulate the girls alone?" They joined him as he went forward onto the bridge. It occurred to him that this was not just a bridge with a tower, but a tower in a valley so deep, that the mist covered its bottom, not only that, but this marvel of architecture would have been connected with the other ruined towers in the valley, had not the other bridges connecting it broken down. _Seems like this bridge was fortified more of the others but why would th- By the saints._ Suddenly everything made sense, the magnificent stone architecture, the location, and the great stone entrance at the bridge end. _A Dwarf Karak!?_

He had never visited one, but he had heard tales about the mighty holds of the Dwarfs. It was said that whole mountains were carved out to give room to these mighty fortress cities, however he also knew that their stonemasons would never allow there to be as much as a single crack in their craft, and even then he had also heard that Dwarfs dislike spending much time in the open air, only setting up surface structures in mining outposts and small farms, so this was something else entirely. _Is this something akin to the fabled city of Kavzar?_ His pondering had to be set aside because Ruby had seen him and started waving.

"Hi, Juan! Did you see the awesome buzzsaw move I did?"

He felt his cheeks pull up. "Of course I did! it was magnificent to see, Ruby!" The rest of the girls turned around. "And you three as well! It was a sight I will never forget!" They all responded differently. Yang smiled with a hint of mischievousness, Weiss gave a courtly bow, Ruby blushed happily, and Blake pulled up a book to read.

"Its finally over." Ren sounded out behind him to the right.

"And it ended with a bang!" Nora sounded out behind him to the left.

"Ended with a bang, eh?" Yang went forward to say something, but he stopped her with a right hand on top of her golden hair. "You mean ended with a _Yang_!" A complete coldness unlike anything he had felt, grabbed him. _Hm? Something exceptionally dangerous is nearby, but where?_ Even though it felt like death itself reached out to him, a wonderful feeling of softness was also present, as Yang's hair felt completely natural unlike the artificial feeling of the purple-haired girl earlier. "Heh, I should have figured that her hair was as amazing as herself." He gave the stunned girl a good hair ruffle and then walked past her. _Now the danger has disappeared all of a sudden?_

"W-What?"

 _Oh shit, did I think that out loud?!_ Juan turned around to see Yang gaping at him in stunned silence. He could not quite read the emotion on her face, but it bore elements of surprise. Ruby, the one likely more attuned to her sibling's moods, was gaping in horror. Therefore, he must have said or done something so incomprehensibly offensive to her that she could not fully wrap her head around the sheer magnitude of his insult. True enough, tears began to form at the corners of Yang's eyes and he was about to go on his knee to beg for forgiveness, but him bending down made the blonde girl rush forward and suddenly suffocating darkness enveloped his vision.

Scandalized gasps filled the bridge.

After a moment of disbelief, it occurred to him that he was currently being held in the soft embrace that only a woman with 'large tracts of land' could provide. He was embarrassed that it took him so long to realize this fact, and quickly tried to extricate himself to not cause her dishonor. Strangely, he found that he remained in her hug, and tried once more with his full strength to no avail. Confusion filled his mind, but then he remembered that Yang had single-handedly kept the mouth of the Giant Nevermore open using only a single arm and her legs. Hence, he was not escaping anytime soon, so he prayed to Myrmidia that his breath would last. Especially as it seemed like she was not letting him go anytime soon. _This is the end. I'm either gonna die of suffocation or, if I pinch her, then I'm gonna die when she throws me off the bridg—?_ Yang abruptly lifted up her arms and he raised up his face and saw that a dark aura had envelope her yellow gauntlets. They shared a moment of utter confusion before something grabbed his sword, and yanked him back.

"I did as you asked, Juan." Pyrrha's voice came behind him and he saw her walk closer with a spinning dagger in her palm. "Here you go." The dagger shot towards him, but he managed to grab it just in time. She then turned to Yang and released her from the magnetic grip. "I would prefer it, if you be so kind, and not strangle _my_ partner while I'm away."

"Pff, a hug _won't_ kill him."

 _Out of the frying pan._

"Fitting that _you_ of all people would consider such _indecency_ for acceptable behavior."

 _And into the fire._

"You wanna go, _Ice Queen?"_

 _One I can handle, two is a challenge, but three is a death sentence!_ A silence before the storm had formed, and each current was colored white, yellow, and red. _I'm stuck between ice, fire, and meta—!?_ The red-haired girl did not glare, instead, she smiled with her eyes closed, and that was somehow more terrifying than the two other girls. He swallowed the excess of saliva in his mouth and looked around for help. Ruby looked confused, Blake turned a page in her book, Ren stared at a passing cloud, and Nora was snacking on popcorn. His stomach betrayed him, and let out a thundering growl. Everyone turned to him with wide eyes, and he felt embarrassment all the way up to the ears. _I should have gotten Yang to throw me off the bridge._ Laughter erupted, and he wished more than anything that he had his hat to hide under. _How could you do this to me!? I kept you happy on rivel soup and red-wine, and this is how you repa—!_ The embarrassed blond realized that the humiliation had given him a window of non-tension. _Thank you, my friend._ A single imaginary tear was wiped away. _We'll feast on fine food and good company when we get back!_ He slipped into an acting role and allowed the scene of his plot to take shape. "Everyman, heed my declaration!"

The girls blinked confused, and Blake raised up her eyes from the book. "Everyman… Was that really the best word you could think of?"

Juan Arc knew that she was smirking behind the book, and somehow he knew she was smirking like a cat. "Erm, you're right… _Hmph-hmph_ … Everywoman and man, heed my declaration!" The stunt paid off, and the tension eased even more than before. "We've all had an amazing day filled with dangerous adventures, so!" He pointed up at top of the cliff. "The last one to make it to the top pays for dinner!"

"Arc, there is no need for that. The food in the school is fre—" Nora silenced whatever Ren was trying to say with her hand.

"Not the premium stuff! Cya on the top, jelly-bellies!" The hyperactive ginger rushed forward and started jumping up the cliff.

"Did."

"She."

"Just."

"Call."

"Us."

"Fat!?"

Yang said the last word, and then the girls rushed after the ginger at speeds that would make Empire Pistoliers green with envy. _I forgot It's not normal humans, I'm dealing with here._

"I forgot about the premium stuff." Ren walked up to him and gave him a bow. "Thank you for paying for our five-star course." The boy was gone before he could manage to formulate an answer.

Juan let out a loud sigh, and he went toward the end of the bridge, where the dark entrance awaited, of course, that was not his objective as that would be suicide, no, his target was the stone staircase to the left of the entrance. It would be a massive detour, no doubt about it, but it was better than nothing. _I'm knee-deep in debt… Myrmidia's blood, screw it!_ He took the first step onto the staircase. _I've already come so far, so why not go a bit further?_ A memory of a sad-looking girl with bunny ears appeared in his head. _I'm gonna invite her to the feast as well!_ The self-made promise filled the chevalier with manly vigor, and he hastily strode up the staircase. Eventually, he made it to the top and found ruins similar to the ones the forest.

"Took you long enough..." Ozpin stepped out from behind a pillar, and a minuscule shockwave touched his back. He looked over his shoulder and saw the female assistant blocking his escape. The confused boy then turned back to the headmaster and met a piercing glare. "Jaune."

* * *

 **Author's notes**

Savage Theron: Tsk, I was planning to not have any A/N to really hit you hard with this cliffhanger. But I've gotten myself a fanfic rival, and that rival went ahead and recommended this fic to his readers in his latest chapter, so I was bound to do the same!

Ladies and Gentlemen! Please go, and check out: Shadow of War by ThemightyMorgoth. It's a Naruto fic, set in the rwby-verse, and I personally started sweating bullets when I read his 4th chapter because the quality surpassed my own. (Of course, with this chapter I hope to even the scale!) You can find it under my favorites if you're interested.

Lastly, I edited the title of privateer to pirate-hunter, thank you AC black flag for the correction.

Now onto the reviews!

Guest Nr.1: Wow if Juan ever discovers Ozpin's relation with the brother gods and his heretical immortality there going to be a burning. Or Ozpin kills him and disposes the body, wouldn't be to surprised if he did something like that in the past especially if the religious fanatics found out and got all homicidal.

Savage Theron: You're onto something, my dude, especially two words you wrote will have a major theme in the next chapter.

JustDave: MOAR!

Savage Theron: Here, have a fresh piece, friend.

Invitado Nr. 2: Por dios continua esto! Primera vez que veo un protagonista español en un fic en ingles. SI!

Savage Theron: La locura hay comenzado, amigo!

Slaggedfire: Well, this is awkward. I hope Pyrrha doesn't hold this against him.

Savage Theron: Indeed, but after this chapter, it might as well be added to Pyrrha's book of grudges.

Guest Nr 3: Could I actually finally read a story where a crossover character who doesn't need Aura doesn't go "ok, give me Aura"?

Savage Theron: *Smiles* I and solar actually went over this, and I defend my claim that Pyrrha would have forced unlocked out blond hero's aura if he had said no. Besides, it played a big role in this chapter.

Guest nr 4: I absolutely love your story. It is pure crack for me, only thing that could make this more spanish is having him doing some bull fighting XD.

I would prefer Yang, but I'm mixed with Pyrrah to be honest.

Finally as a recomendation, better separate memories from current events than have them inside brackets. It gets convoluted. Also, for thoughts the standar is to simply have them in cursive, so there is no possible confusion between dialogue and thoughts.

Savage Theron: Ole! Your words gave life to the Boarbatusk poncho-bullfighter-scene!

Heh, then I hope that this chapter was to your taste.

I see your point, but I still wanna keep at it with the brackets and see if I can make it work somehow. Of course, if that proves impossible then I'll admit defeat and change it. Thanks for the heads up about thought simply being cursive, really did open up a lot more options for me!

Guest Nr 5: Please continue as fast as you can please. This is simply one of the best Warhammer RWBY crossover that I have read for a very long time. Keep up the good work and continue to surpass the previous chapters.

Savage Theron: Arg, stop saying such nonsense! Nah jk, thanks a lot, king! Haha, I shall do my best to meet your expectation!

Ressan: Great chapter, and nice to see this back.

Savage Theron: W-Well, it was _always_ back, I'm just not the fastest of writers, however, I am doing my best to improve my writing speed, my dude!

Someguy the anon: oh no... did Yang kill Jaune before Jaun took over Jane's body.

...thank you, this is a beautiful peice of literature. I'm having to hold back tears.

why'd it say it updated?

Savage Theron: Now you're asking the real questions!

Thank you, anon, I shall see to it that you shred those tears!

Uh… You see… Sometimes I make a typo, or two, or seven and then I see them after I have uploaded. However, I shall try and refrain from updating until I release a new chapter.

Azarune: Well, it ain't no lizardmen or skaven but this is pretty awesome. I'm very curious to see how Jaune and Juan interact if they ever do meet and hope there is will be a good ending to that. Would hate for poor Jaune to fade away and leave his family behind. Given that Juan is somehow possessing his body. Best wishes!

Savage Theron: I think this chapter might have given some insight into what is going on.

Rhivan: This fic is absolutley hilarious. When I first stumbled upon this once I saw Jaunes personality switch I dropped the fic but I decided to give it a go today and I adore this, and eagerly await what your going to do with this.

Savage Theron: I expect many to have done the same, however, reading is like food taste, and should not be forced, though I'm happy that you decided to give it another go, Rhivan.

Solarblaster: A very understandable thing to do, considering the overbloat of Jaune centered fics, most of which are recycled compost that is eaten and then shat out by a pachyderm.

Guest Nr 6: Amazing story so far and I can't wait for more

Savage Theron: My thanks, here have a chapter!

P.S if any of you guys have an OC bull Fanus named Brian… Then you gotta be happy that I am such a kind author to include them in the story, lmao!


	5. Chapter 5

" _Woe be to the apostate that dares dabble in Necromancy! He shall never find rest, nor shall he find peace, such is the damnation of those that seek the cowardly escape from death!_ " — Fr. Bernardo's sermon after a terrifying encounter off the Vampire coast.

* * *

A heeled shoe tapped the grass with impatience. _I did not take Juan to be tardy, but I guess Estalian nobility are raised differently._ Weiss frowned and focused down on her scroll. _Not that it matters. We will have plenty of time to discuss trade and culture._ It did not take a dust researcher to realize that those with the matching pairs got teamed together, and since a golden knight piece had been missing when she got to the abandoned temple, it was undoubtedly the piece Juan had picked. Funny how it was also the same piece _she_ had chosen.

"Weiss, look!" Exclaimed Ruby.

A Bullhead flew up from deeper inside the forested cliff towards Beacon. And as it flew towards Beacon, it revealed that two other Bullheads flew from that place towards them.

"Sweet! We're getting the VIP treatment!"

She facepalmed, of course, Yang would consider something so trivial as returning home by flight as 'VIP treatment.'

The two Bullheads landed in front of them, and a smoking, orange-eyed woman, stepped out. "Okay enough loafing around! Get into the bullheads, now!" She wore a long coat riddled with holes and patches, and although Weiss could not see any weapons — she did notice that the woman was leaning on her left leg.

"I'm sorry, who are you?"

The woman gave her a dirty look. "I just came flying with two rust buckets, who the fuck do you think I am?"

"A bad mouthed person that's for sure. You could be a kidnapper for all that we know." She glared back at the rude woman who merely threw her cigarette down and stomped on it.

"First Coco and now this… I swear Oz don't pay me enough." The woman pulled out a new cigarette and lit it. "The name is 'Professor Peach,' capish?"

"Wasn't the headmaster suppose to meet us up here?" Questioned Blake.

"He was. Then a student went ahead and died in the forest."

Everyone gasped, although Pyrrha's was exceptional quieter than the rest of them.

"Y-You're serious!?"

Professor Peach took a bored whiff. "Yeah, that's what you signed up for, anyway, Oz left me in charge so unless you want a free ticket back home, then I'll advise you to move your asses into the bullheads!"

"What about Juan?"

The bad-tempered professor turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Juan?... You mean the blond weirdo? Yeah, Port took him out for a hunting game."

"He said that he would meet us up here."

"I don't care what your boyfriend told you, _Heiress,_ the truth is that he picked the mustache lover over you, so quit it!"

 _How dare she!?_

"Weiss, come on let's just go." Ruby's voice — and cold reasoning — won her over, and she held herself back from doing anything more than glaring at the Professor.

She, Ruby, Yang, and Blake stepped into the first Bullhead while the others climbed into the second. "What a bitch." The doors had barely closed before Yang spoke her mind.

"For once we agree, Yang."

"It's not debatable, its a fact." Scoffed Blake.

"Yeah, she's a huge bitc— Hmph!?" Yang swiftly silenced her younger sister with a hand.

"Ruby! What did I say about language!?"

Weiss went over to the plane window — while the sisters fought over their childish nonsense — and saw the smoking woman looking at the two bullheads with a familiar glint. She had not escaped from an uncountable number of kidnapping attempts with luck alone. No, she had been tutored for years to notice the signs that scum gave away, and that glint Peach had, was one of them. _The Professor knows more than she lets out._ The aircraft lifted from the ground, and Weiss saw the shady Professor pulling up her scroll before the Bullhead took off towards Beacon Academy.

* * *

Yet again did he find himself in a black abyss.

He struggled to open his eyes and after achieving that — met a blurred mix of darkened colors. He tried blinking, but not even _that_ seemed to help, so he pulled up his arm to rub his eyes.

Only to find that his arms chained to something.

Panic took over and gave his eyes sharpness. He was in a darkened room and was handcuffed down to the chair he sat on. A grey-haired man with a green scarf and small glasses sat in front of him, behind a metal table.

"Finally getting to your senses, I see."

He tried to scream, but no sound passed from his lips.

"While going through extreme agony, you somehow managed to dodge from falling into your own puke before passing out. Quite praiseworthy, if I dare say so." The older man smiled while taking a sip from his cup.

He realized that his throat was drier than the sand dunes of Vacuo, and the man followed his eyes to the cup. "Thirsty?"

"Y... ye... yes." It was like speaking with sand in the throat, but it would let the sadist know what he wanted. The man nodded to someone behind him, and a strange cup coated in purple aura floated in front of him. Something about the purple aura was terrifying, but his thirst took priority, and he hungrily took the straw in the mouth.

"I am sure you are confused in regards to your situation."

Every gulp rejuvenated his body and brought order to his mind.

"However if you just remain calm then we can—!?"

He spat a mouthful of water into the annoying man's face. "Listen here, _scum."_ The second person closed in behind him — but a single raised palm from the now wet man — stopped the person in their tracks. He grinned, at least the unknown interrogator recognized his value. "I swear on my name of Ja…Ju…J—"

"Trouble remembering your name?" The man chuckled to himself and started wiping his face with a handkerchief.

Rage flooded him to such a degree that his clenched jaw almost snapped under pressure. "What did you do to my memories!?"

"I have done nothing of any sort to affect your memories... The gods on the other hand…"

 _Gods?_ A sudden headache exploded, and he flinched under the pain.

"Interesting. It seems like that was a minor trigger. Tell me, is there a deity you worship?"

"No, I do n— yes, I worship… _Myrmidia_ …"

"You sound awful unsure. Tell me about your past."

"I was on the airship when— _no, I defended my Capital_ — wait, what am I saying, I was attacked by someone with red ey— no, _I_ attacked red ey—" The pain increased to such a degree that he shut his eyes.

That turned out to be a mistake.

Massive demonic red eyes appeared in the darkness and glared at him with the fury of a dying sun, which produced a fear that surpassed all his nightmares — but then the eyes became smaller — and… petite?

 _What?_

He had no idea how he had come to that conclusion, but there was something feminine about the newly shrunk demonic eyes glaring back at him.

 _Did I eat four bowls of_ _cereal before sleeping again?_

Shadows gathered around the hovering red eyes and gave them the body of a small, well-endowed, long-haired girl.

… _Yeah... I must have eaten four bowls of cereal before sleeping._

Either it was that, or he had gone insane. Not only could he — _see —_ shadows in the darkness, but there was also something telling him that giving the glaring girl a friendly hair ruffle would somehow enlighten him of the situation.

He tested if opening and closing his eyes removed the hallucination. It did not. And honestly, he preferred the shadow-girl over the confused man in front of him. _Screw it._ He reached towards her hair, and the girl's glare turned into death itself.

His migraine increased as his hand got closer, while fear pounded up his spine. Yet, even with all this going on, he couldn't help but smile at the whole ordeal. Some heroes _killed_ dragons, and some heroes rescued princesses _from_ dragons, but how many heroes _petted_ the dragon?

A tiny voice questioned why he was suddenly thinking about dragons, but at this point — he had embraced insanity — and placed his hand upon her hair. Memories flooded into his mind as he finally remembered the fantastic softness, and more importantly, who the girl covered in shadows was.

 _Hey Sunflower!_

The glaring stopped, and the shadows disappeared around the girl, while the red eyes shifted into light purple, and revealed a pleased Yang underneath.

 _Heh, girls hate it when you forget them._

Maybe his brain was tricking him, but Yang seemed to nod in agreement, before fading away with a smile. The surreality of it all gave him a smile of his own, and he opened his eyes to face his abductor with newfound conviction. "Headmaster Ozpin." A quick glance over his shoulder revealed the other person to be none other than the blonde woman who almost threw him to his death. "And the Witch." He relaxed into the chair. "To what pleasure or displeasure do I owe, to have the two biggest powerhouses of Beacon shackle me down like a common criminal?"

Ozpin let out a huff of air. "So you've regained your memories, sadly, flattery will not release you."

"Not even out of the handcuffs?" The blue-eyed boy gave his best puppy eyes — to no apparent avail — as the grey-haired man merely took another bored sip. "Come on... listen, I'm sorry about spitting water in your face earlier; however, I thought that a torture session was soon due and thus wanted a small act retaliation before going down, you can understand that, right?" Ozpin stared at him for a moment before nodding to the Witch. The handcuffs ripped apart, and he shuddered when he looked behind him and confirmed that the pieces of handcuffs, were, indeed, surrounded by the scary woman's purple Aura. "Thank you, Miss?..."

"Goodwitch. Glynda _Goodwitch._ "

 _So her last name is an oxymoron? How quaint._ He would be sure to remember it when he addressed scholars and academics, although fanatics might accuse him of heresy on the oxymoron alone. Still, the melodrama would be glorious, and speaking of drama… "Thank you, _Mrs._ Goodwitch." The woman flinched and glared harder at him, as expected.

"The correct term would be, _Miss_ Goodwitch, as Glynda has yet to marry."

He turned to the headmaster with an amused smile. "Nonsense! A beautiful tall woman with the ability to throw young men to their death would have at least _fifty_ souls fighting over her!" He returned his gaze to the stern-faced woman with a wink. "Had you been younger then it would have been _fifty-one_." His lovely compliment worked as intended, and Glynda headed towards the door.

"I'll be outside if you need me, Sir."

He chuckled as she closed the door behind her. _The fools have no idea that it was my plot all along to have us alon_ —

"You know, I would have sent her out if you asked me."

The boy's blood turned cold as Norscan ice, and he swiftly put on a confident mask before facing the man that had seen through his plotting."T-That's good to hear! However, If I did ask that, then she would consider me a threat, and I prefer for her to think of me as a common charmer instead."

"So you planned to get her to leave." Ozpin's eyes narrowed in on his hand gripping the back of the chair. "And then you would proceed to bash my head in with the chair."

"I-I-I—"

"I'll have you know, Mr. Arc, that the huntsman academies follow the philosophy of meritocracy. We do not differentiate between gender, wealth, or beliefs. Only merit matter — and that _includes_ the professors."

 _Dammit! So this Daemon is stronger than the Witch!?_ He fell defeated onto the table. "I'm screwed ain't I?"

"That's a rather _coarse_ way to say it, but yes, if you do attack me, then I cannot ensure your safety, however, if you comply willingly, then you have my word that no harm shall fall upon you."

Although he loathed to admit it, the fiend had him by the balls. "...What do you want?"

"Your name and your past."

"The name is Juan Arc, and my past is of no concern for the likes of you, _Warlock._ "

A slight pause took the room. "…Why would you call me a warlock?"

Juan knew the situation was hopeless, but the soft voice riddled with superiority infuriated him. "Listen, I may be ignorant of the true depths of magic, but even I know a _curse word_ when I experience it!" He returned up to his regular sitting.

Was it just him or did Ozpin look more serious?

"Curse word?"

He slammed a fist down on the table. "You said a single word, and I collapsed like I had drunk raw sewage! If that is not the mark of a curse then what is!?"

The Warlock blinked briefly and then started laughing softly while taking another uncaring sip. Juan was just about to go through with his previous plan of bashing Ozpin's head in, but then the man froze him with another piercing stare."I merely said the name of the boy you are possessing."

Something cracked inside him. "... You are lying."

Ozpin reached below the table and pulled out three folders, then he opened the first folder and took out an _eerily_ perfect illustration of Juan Arc — although something was horribly wrong. No Estalian posture would ever be so hunched over and nervous. "This is the picture the boy — you are possessing — send in when he requested to be accepted into my academy."

"Stop speaking to me as an exorcist would to a Daemon! This 'picture' of yours could have been conjured up by foul magic for all I know!" His anger was meet with the same all-knowing smile and Ozpin grabbed the next folder.

"This one contains information about our solar system," Ozpin placed the folder in front of him. "I take it one such as yourself understand the importance of that?"

The Diestro nodded and prudently reached out to grab the folder, to not give away his glee. _You really are the biggest fool I've met! Once I find out where I am with a bit of star navigation, then I'll—!?_ He dropped the paper.

"What's wrong, you are turning pale?"

 _NO, THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!_ He shot out of the chair and rushed out of the door straight into the face of a shocked Glynda. He sidestepped her and ran towards the nearest window, only to be abruptly trapped in place by the witch's power.

"Glynda, allow Mr. Arc to see out the window."

The grip vanished, and he flew down, but he did not care and quickly scrambled up to the window. "SPILLED BLOOD OF MYRMIDIA, WHY!?" There, up in the sky, hang a single shattered moon — confirming the horrible truth.

This was not his world.

* * *

"Whaaaaaaaaaat!?"

"Yeah, girls, there is no Juan fella in this school."

"Have you tried checking his last name: Arc?"

"Give me a sec… Yeah, there's an Arc ere' alright and… what in tarnation?"

"What's wrong?"

"I-It just got locked!? Someone must have blacklisted the boy!"

"What!?"

"Does that mean we won't get premium!?"

"I can't put in on the tap on someone I can't see. Sorry. But feel free to buy it yours—"

A big hand shook her shoulder. "Velvet, are you alright?"

"Ah!" Velvet's focus on the cafeteria shattered, and she was once more back in professor Port's class. "S-Sorry, Yatsuhashi, my mind must have wandered off for a bit..."

Her colossal teammate gave her a surprised look. "You can do that here? While this is going on?"

"Well…" She looked in the middle of the room where Coco was beating the captured Alpha Beowolf to death — with its own arm. "... I must have inadvertently begun meditating like you said I should, hehe..."

"Velvet."

"WAIT TILL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, A!" Her partner kicked the downed Alpha onto its back and lifted up her heeled shoe.

"Please teach me your meditative ways." Velvet moved her focus back to the gentle giant who looked at her with a sense of awe and respect.

"I-I'll—"

Coco's power stomp rocked the entire classroom, causing girls to swoon and blush, and the guys to scream and press themselves further into the back wall.

"I'll do my best." Yatsuhashi gave her an appreciative nod and joined in the scant clapping. She finally had a few minutes before Coco strutted back up to her seat, and started grumbling about 'A,' like she had done all morning. Seriously, who were suicidal enough to not only draw over Coco's draft — her _newest_ huntsmen idea — but then also rubbed salt in the wound by changing it into a cute over-the-top dress!

If professor Peach hadn't stepped in…

The Faunus shuddered and focused once more her two bunny ears on the window in class. Her ears might be a source of staring, ridicule, and hatred, but they did give her a fantastic hearing.

 _What did the lunch lady mean about Juan not existing?... It's probably just a bug in the system, right?… Besides, why would he lie about his n… Hang on, where is the sound?_

She intensified her concentration, but still, no sounds of clattering plates or talking students came, meaning... someone had closed the cafeteria windows. "Aw..."

* * *

 _So he's either from another universe which does not have a splintered moon._ Ozpin steeled himself and went forward to the shadow of a young man. He had not expected the boy's confidence to deflate like a balloon, but then again, he might have done the same in his past lives.

Jaune (or was it Juan?) laid over the windowsill with pupils that dilated and compressed repeatedly. "Why- _why_ -why- _why_ -why- _why…_ My parents… My sisters… _Myrmidia_."

Ozpin blinked. He could hear Jaune changing his accent repeatedly as he rambled on. _Are they switching command between them at random?_ He reached out to lay a calming hand on Jaune's shoulder.

Jaune reacted immediately and shot a hand out to grab — only to miss by a large margin. The possessed boy stared at the failed grab like a king who had gotten betrayed by his closest advisor. "I. Am. Not. Insane."

Ozpin smiled. "I know." And placed the hand on Jaune's shoulder. "Let us continue our talk at my office."

Jaune stared at the friendly gesture for a moment and then gave a hesitant nod. "Lead the way."

Now Ozpin truly smiled.

As they said: don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

* * *

"Renny, these pancakes ain't as good as yours!"

Ren sighed and rubbed his head with his free hand. "Nora, what did I say about eating while we are _still_ in the line?"

His closest friend started sobbing loudly. "Buuuut, Ren! The phantom pain won't go away! I can feel them! The cakes I have lost…"

He was amazed that Nora knew the medical term, but she did have a special knack about random things. "Yes, I was also quite saddened to hear that I would not have the chance to order steamed Mistralian daoyu, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves." He showed her the small object he had made on his plate, and her reaction was instant.

"A RICE HAMMER!" Stars appeared in Nora's eyes, "Oh my gosh it's so adorable!" She threw up her tray in the air and hugged him. "Thanks, Ren."

A loud gasp sounded out through the dining hall, but he was not worried. "You're welcome."

His trust in Nora was proved correct, and she released him to catch the falling down food-tray miraculously. "Ta-da! I got the idea from Arc! I don't know why I did not think of it earlier! Simply throw things up in the air, and then catch them when you need them! Genius!"

Ren blinked a couple of times, not that he was surprised that his friend had caught the tray, but rather that his rice hammer was currently on it. "... Speaking of Arc," he looked to a nearby clock, "it's time that we discuss what we know with the others."

Nora nodded — oddly solemn. "Let's move."

The boy followed his oldest friend to the group of five girls, who sat at a more… _secluded_ table than the rest of the students.

Weiss and Blake were tapping on scrolls, although with entirely different tempos. The heiress was tapping furiously and wrote cursive notes on a paper next to it, while Blake was more laid back with her tapping, still, there was a glint in her eyes of some sort.

Meanwhile, Ruby was trying hard but failed, to not give her older sister obvious nervous eyeglances.

And lastly, Yang and Pyrrha watched the door, probably hoping that Juan Arc would strut inside and reveal what was going on.

 _Sadly, that rarely happens in the real world._ Ren took a deep breath. "So… what do we know about Arc?"

"Ahem." Weiss cleared her throat and brought up her rapport. "Sir. Juan Arc, noble of Estalia. Preferences: Rapiers, dancing, honor, and…" A small red touched the heiress's cheeks. " _My voice._ "

"Is she for real?" Whispered Nora to him.

"Dislikes: _Interrupters_ , Grimm, dishonor, and Pyrrha being called a goddess."

The table turned toward the famous champion. "W-Well..." Pyrrha looked unsure how to answer, and Ren could not blame her. "He did have a problem with my title, but that was more out of respect for his goddess M—"

"Myrmidia," lectured Weiss.

" _Myrmdia,_ " continued Pyrrha with an edge. " Other than that he's … _Special_ , yes, but he's kind-hearted, and I trust him."

"You shouldn't." Everyone turned to the girl with amber eyes and black hair. "How can we sure that he's not just tricking all of us?"

" _Excuse me_? Who asked you?" Snapped Weiss.

Blake was utterly unfazed and just turned her scroll around — revealing an image of a tall, bucket-helmet wearing knight. "Jonathan Arc," informed Blake. "Hero of the great war and 3rd General of the Valeian-Vacuan Alliance."

Ruby gasped. "That's Juan's sword!"

"What!? Ruby, how do you know that?"

"They have the exact same blue hilt, Weiss! Look! Oh my gosh, it even had the same scratches we saw!"

"More ammo for my argument, I guess, but the reason I brought up the General was this." Blake swiped her scroll and revealed a portrait of Jonathan Arc — which was a near identical Juan Arc, although older and more scruffy. It was certain. They were without a doubt related, and that stunned them.

"Looks like I got something to look forward to~¨

Well, nearly all of them.

"Shut it, Tramp!"

"What did you call me, Frosty!?"

Ren decided to cut in before Yang and Weiss destroyed the cafeteria. "Nora and I found out that he liked being called Arc." It worked, and he got the girl's attention. "We were with him this morning, and although he had no idea why that was the case, this portrait here clarifies the situation."

" _Amnesia_ _introduced split-personality._ " Whispered Pyrrha horrified.

He frowned but nodded. "We also noted that he did not know how to brush his teeth — and tried to hide it by copying what we did."

The news seemed to have given Weiss a headache, as she was rubbing her forehead. "Why did you even begin to call him by his last name!?"

"I..." It occurred to Ren that he had no clue why Nora had started calling him Arc. "Nora?"

"Yes, Ren?"

"Why did you start calling him Arc instead of Juan?"

"It just felt right in my toes!"

"... Right..." He turned to the table. " I guarantee you all that Nora's quirkiness does not the change the fact that she has an amazing people discerning ability."

"... That explains a lot of things." Pyrrha seemed to have eased down a bit. "His accent changed back to normal when the Deathstalker attacked him; it made him roar about the scroll-net after a taking a hit."

Now, _this_ got Ren's attention.

"Oh, Oh, Oh! What did he say about the scroll-net, Pyr!?"

"S-Something about bug spray..."

It was obvious that Pyrrha was lying, but Ren had bigger things to worry about. "So not only did his accent return to normal, but he also went from unable to brush his teeth, to know about the Scroll-net? I think we can confirm that 'Juan' is merely a personality that Arc has created."

"Hang on, m-maybe this is just one big coincidence?" Weiss looked around to see if anyone would agree with her, but found no one. "... So I got fooled… _again._ " The spark in her eyes turned cold, _very cold_.

"Not quite," assured Pyrrha, "I don't think that Arc knows any of this. It could just be a phase he goes into from time to time and then returns to normal. Besides, he did get accepted into the school after all, right?"

"Impossible. No Headmaster would ever allow a mentally unstable person in their school, so the amnesia must have started... when he was traveling to Beacon…" Blake turned towards the scythe-wielder that had briefly lost her nervousness. "Isn't that right, Ruby?"

This caused Ruby to jump up from her seat. "Um, I..." She turned to her older sister with pleading eyes, and Yang placed a calming hand over her little sister's shoulder.

"Well me and—"

"I," corrected Weiss coldly.

" _I_ and Rubes here stumbled upon him in the airship where we flirted a bit and did a minor battle to check each other out."

" _Lies._ " Punctuated the white-haired girl. "You told me that he puked in your hair and that's why you fought."

"Pff, _thanks for spilling the beans Weiss-cream_ …"

Pyrrha gasped. "You attacked him!?"

"It was just a single right hook! Trust me; he got up right after!"

"Pyrrha, You have to understand that my sister really _really_ loves her hair and when Juan puked on it, s-she just lost it!"

Ren noticed that the reassuring voices of the sisters did absolutely nothing to console Pyrrha. On the contrary, her distress had skyrocketed. "You didn't use your full strength, right!?"

He readied himself to try and hold the invincible girl back. He would fail, of course, but it might give the blondie time to escape.

"Woah, Pyrrha, easy! Yeah, I did use my full power… But!" Yang grinned and relaxed in her chair. "Juan took it to the head like a champ! I tell you all that guy got an Aura the size of a gun... ship... Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha was shaking.

Ren knew that look. "Pyrrha, are you alright?" He and Nora had met many traumatized children in the orphanage with the same look, Lotus above; they had that look when they got there.

Pyrrha took a deep breath and looked away. "Juan could not have had his Aura on the airship…" Pyrrha paused and looked back — with the eyes only the one titled the goddess of victory — could have. "Because I unlocked it during the initiation."

Ren had expected many things — anger, bickering, jealousy…

But he had not expected to hear that.

And by the chaos that followed — neither did the rest of the table.

* * *

 _Why?_

 _Why? Why? Why?_

 _WHY!?_

The boy chuckled to himself with the same joy of a father attending his daughter's funeral. "I had not feared," he raised his eyes up to the headmaster, "giving up my wealth; my reputation; or even my life, not once if it was for that beautiful divine dream… But now I have lost the only thing I feared losing." The boy had thought stories of heroes falling into despair mere senseless melodrama, but now. Now, he knew better. " _My soul._ " It came out like a whisper covered in broken glass.

"I think it's impossible for humans not to fear death."

"You damn stoic bastard! OF COURSE, I HAVE HEARD THE WHISPER OF… of… _fear_..." He gritted his teeth in shame. "And now I hear more things..."

"Oh? So you are hearing the voice of your host?"

He could not believe the sheer nerve of the man in front of him.

"You see," continued the bastard. "I'm quite familiar with a story about a man with two souls. I'm what people would call 'an avid fan' of the works. So I likewise assume that you can hear the voice of the host speaking to y—"

He shot up and grabbed Ozpin over the desk. "Listen closely, _mierda._ " The witch 'Aura' manifested around him like a Lustrian anaconda, but he kept the grip. "I may have become a vile Daemon or some sort of maggot-eating Lich, but I rather let myself be thrice damned than allow you to _dare_ think I did this out of my own free will!"

The headmaster remained calm, knowing full well that he was powerless against the powers of his blonde assistant. "Daemon? Lich?"

"Hmf." Juan released the grip and slumped back down in the chair. "... Pardon my explosion, but If I had heard _literal_ voices in my head, then I would have contacted an Exorcist!... W-Which I a-assume y-you've called one to c-come here?" He bit his cheek to regain a bit of spine.

Ozpin merely raised an eyebrow at his dismay, which only increased his utter hatred of the headmaster. "No? Why would I do that?

The sheer self-disgust he got from hearing the tiniest whisper of relief, could only be weighted with lustful thoughts about priestesses. "I…" His lip quivered." _Thank you_."

"You have my word, that you will be under my complete protection as long as you comply with my demands,"

"And what are those?"

Ozpin placed down the cup and gathered his fingers. "For now merely answer what I asked before: What made you; _into you_?"

 _A philosopher, I see._ He knew that he was out of options, but that did not mean he couldn't pull the rug from under the headmaster. "You want my life story?"

"Another day I will, but right now I just need to better my understanding of you."

"... Very well." The blond took a breath and thought back, back to a time he loathed — yet, relied on. "My memory is foggy and... _scrambled_ , to put it bluntly... but to understand me, then you must first understand the event known as the defilement of Santa Clair…"

* * *

 _ **Magritta, capital of the kingdom of Astarios, Estalia. IC 2509**_

Seagulls shrieked, horse hooves trotted, and Juan ran through the streets between the legs of drunkards and crybabies. Usually, the whole of Magritta enjoyed its merrymaking of trade, drama, and war on the lesser kingdoms in the region — the other 'kings' still childishly clung to their petty 'independence' like that street rat, Omar, clung to his 'Arabyan pride.'

Yet something had changed in the mood of the city. Now, he had been down with a cough until today, but even he had heard the riots and temple bells ringing out in alarm. From what he gathered, some kind of attack had happened to the island kingdom of Santa Clair, which was strange considering that afterward, the Clairians went from a 'backwater nation of fishermen' to 'honored brethren of the sails.'

 _Why was everyone so adamant about giving me more infor—!?_ A door flew out to his side, and a fat captain rushed out. "HALT, FATTY!" It might not have been his most manly moment, but at least it saved him from being crushed.

The captain stopped and his ship-crew barrelled into his back. Which only knocked the air out of him, while the crew fell into the cobblestone below. The captain looked down at him with fury in his eyes. _Fiddlesticks, I really should drink more milk for height…_

"You _dare_ , Brat!? I'm grand Capitán Fernández de Bilbali! Me and my crew are on the way to my customized Sloop to bring vengeance for Santa Clair!"

"Yeah yeah that's fine and dandy, but do you mind knowing your place?" Juan struck the pose he had seen on the poster for the new heroic drama: _The awesome adventures of_ _Gotrek and Felix."_ Your speaking to Grandmaster Courier Juan de Magritta! So know your place, fatty!" He closed his eyes and pointed at them, just like the swashbucklers in the stories did.

The sound of pistols being made fireable sounded out with a myriad of clicks.

 _Haaah… Why do they have to be so cliché?_ Juan opened his eyes and found more pistols that he could count aimed at him.

"I have no idea what madness Myrmidia has cursed you with, _boy_. But if you don't start begging for your life, then me and my crew are gonna fill you with lead."

Juan studied the guns for a moment and sighed — did they think he would allow himself to die to unpolished weapons of all things? "Tsk, Tsk, Tsk." He raised up his small finger and wriggled it at the captain. "Such bravery to gun down a mere child! Tell me, Capitán… Do you not fear the consequences of such an act?"

"HAH!" The captain spat between his boots. "Not even the Inquisition can save you now, boy."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Oh that's a shame, well guess my faith is due," he turned the package around and revealed the symbol on it. "Now that my employers will be unable to protect me."

The captain and his crew turned white as ghosts. "T-T-The H-Holy I-I-Inquisition!?"

Juan followed the eyes down to the emblem of the infamous black eagle. "Wow, I guess you're right, Capitán. No matter! You're the fear of the seas! Strike me down!"

"B-B-Boss, our families…" Stuttered a sailor.

The captain gritted his teeth. "What do you want from us?"

"Sir."

"What do you want from us, _Sir_?"

"Your fishing boat and your crew." The captain dropped his gun, and the crew let out a whimper. Alas, Juan remembered something important. "Oh yeah there's a minotaur toreador match coming up in a month so… just give the honor of the first cannonball that hits, to me! Juan de Magritta!"

Captain Fernández bowed down and picked up the gun — while saying a lot of bad words that Juan's mother would have washed his mouth for saying. The man then returned to pointing his gun at him for a moment, before holstering it. "Come on you sea-dogs... Let's move!"

Juan had not expected them to do a wide berth around him. "Goodbye! Remember your promise!" A grumble was all he got, but happiness swelled in his chest nonetheless, and he rushed forward. _Sweet! The first cannonball strike to my name!_... _Although I might have made myself an arch-nemesis… Nice! All heroes have those!_

He noticed a sweating man, that must have been a Kislevite merchant, for how the dumb heathen was walking around in full bearskin clothing. Did they forget that the weather got warm and sweet if Myrmidia favored your nation? _Hah, silly pagans._ Free entertainment was always welcome, and he laughed while scurrying towards Myrmidia's plaza.

Finally, he spotted his target: The headquarters of the Holy Inquisition. A fortress of a six-story building, built as a statement of Inquisitorial might.

Two Black Watchmen stood guard in front of the entrance, and Juan stopped to take a breather, before striding towards them.

"Halt, child. State your business."

"I am the legendary grand maestro J—"

"To lie to the Holy Inquisition is a crime punishable by a lifetime of eating Bretonnian spinach."

"Eep! I'm sorry! I'm Juan de Magritta, an apprentice stand-in courier." Chuckles emerged from the two black knights, but he continued nonetheless. "I'm here because the Courier, Victor de Magritta, quit his job to join a... 'vengeance ship'... whatever that is."

The chuckles ceased immediately. "Knife-eared scum," spat a Black Watch. "But that is not for one of your age to know of little one-"

 _Huh?_

"-So hand me the package, and I'll deliver it to the Inquisitor."

"No."

"... I'm sorry, I must have misheard. Would you repeat that?"

"No."

"... Boy, do you have any idea what authority you're standing up ag—"

"Alejandro, what have I said about having a big mouth on the job?" Sounded a clear female aristocrat out from above.

Juan looked up and saw an older lady with an eye-patch in an open window in the building. The Watchman — that must have been Alejandro — turned so silent that not even his breath gave noise.

"And you, child," continued the one-eyed lady, shifting her focus onto him. "This is no time for admiring the Holy Inquisition's Watchmen. Shoo Shoo."

Although Juan was not the brightest child — like those rich kids that knew how to calculate — it did not mean that he couldn't see that this mysterious lady was some sort of authority figure. "Hey watch it, one-eye!" But she had _shoo'd_ at him, and that was unforgivable. "I'm on a top secret mission from the Holy Inquisition itself! Who do you think you are!?"

Two clangs echoed out, as the duo of Black Watchmen dropped their halberds.

The woman with the sharp eye gave him a couple of baffled blinks before chuckling with a covering hand. "I am no one but a one-eyed lady, little one. Which Inquisitor do you seek?"

 _Again with the little! He_ gave a disapproving huff and placed his arms together in front of his chest. "I seek the gentleman known as Inquisitor Aléx."

Alejandro and the other Watchman had scrambled to pick up their halberds — and promptly dropped them again.

Juan could taste the sheer embarrassment in the air. "Are you two alright?"

Laughter emerged from the one-eyed lady that sounded both innocent and… deadly?

 _Huh?_

The only comparison he could think off was the time that he painted his—

 **010101010**

Oldest sister's prom dress red, on her big day.

"Alejandro," chuckled Ms. One-eye, "please show our little courier up to Aléx's office." The last line did not get said with the same previous kindness — but as an order — and she closed the window.

Juan and the two knights stared at the empty window for a while, before he cleared his throat. "Alejandro, it is getting darker."

Alejandro turned and stared at him through the slits of his helmet, almost like he wanted to say something, but the knight chose instead to give a small shake of his helmet. The Watchman then pulled out a key and opened the wooden door, and went inside. Juan followed right after with a grin.

Arabyan carpets covered the floor, flawless oil paintings covered the walls, and to make matters even more splendid: soft guitar tunes flew in the air from upstairs. Juan gave the room a much-approved whistle. "Mighty impressive, Don Alejandro! Tell me, is THIS how it is working for the Inquisition?"

The knight pulled up his hand, spread out the fingers, and shook it in an 'eh' motion.

"... Right, Ms. One-eye did tell you to stay quiet."

Alejandro turned the hand around in an open palm towards him — probably meaning 'exactly.'

Both of them went up the stairway, and Juan slid a finger up the railing on the master crafted carpentry. _Oooooh, no splinters! Nice!_ The guitar sound got louder as they went up, and the Watchman led him up to the third level, before stepping out into a single long corridor.

At the far end of it — by a reinforced door — sat a single sitting man, who hid his face by a massive hat. It was from this man that excellent guitar playing came. The man continued to play, even as Alejandro did a salute in front of him, and Juan started to wonder.

"Hey! You with the huge hat!" And when he wondered he _asked_. "What's a bard doing outside an inquisitor's door?"

The man continued to play, ignoring his question. _Why the nerve of this guy!_ He reached out to snatch the hat away — but the man reacted instantly and threw the guitar up in the air.

Juan followed it with his eyes — briefly seeing a shadow pass over his head — before following the guitar dropping back down into the hands of the still sitting man. "Okay, what was the that all abo—!?"

Blond hair fell to the floor. _His_ blond hair.

"Refrain from calling me a mere bard, _boy_." The man pushed up the hat with one finger and revealed an olive-skinned face with a strong black beard. "My peers would have cut you down for less, but I was more forgiving, as you did not see our trademark." He raised up the guitar and showed what he had — _sheathed_ — beneath.

Juan might have relaxed if the bearded-man had an elven sword or some other weapon that showed he was no mere human, but the man only had a decorated rapier — and _that_ terrified him.

 _Diestro._

"Work on your voice; soften it to win people's hearts instead of their ire, and..." The Diestro then gave the door three hard knocks and a soft knock, before focusing his attention once more on the guitar. "Remember this lesson: If you can't control your eyes, then your enemies will."

A loud click sounded out, and the massive door opened up — revealing not a sharp-eyed male Inquisitor — but the one-eyed lady with a shit eating grin. "Woah, you look like you see a banshee, little one."

 _I am_. Was what Juan wanted to say, but he preferred to walk out of there with merely a haircut, rather than an scalping. "Never and by Myrmidia that I never will, _my lady_."

The Diestro froze and gave an amused snort before resuming his guitar playing, while the one-eyed lady's grin only grew. "Is that so? Then I guess you're the cause of our small courier's paleness, _Jeró_."

"I merely saved him a few pennies from the barber, _Aléxandra_."

 _Aléx… Aléxandra… Of course. Damn these inquisitorial tricks!_ He sighed rubbed his forehead. "Doña Inquisitor Aléxandra, please tell your agents to follow company policy in the future."

The woman stared at him for a moment with a slight wide in her single eye and then started to giggle. "You have my word, _O master courier Juan._ "

"Hmf, that's good to hear! Here." Finally some respect from these adults.

"Thank you~" Alexandra took the letter and ripped it open. Her one-eye skimmed through the lines — and then she froze. "Jerónimo, my office now."

The Diestro sprung up in an instant. "Aléx?"

"They have found the culprit behind the destruction of Santa Clair." She crushed the letter. " _A traitor_."

 _What!?_

Juan gasped and the Inquisitor's eye pinned onto him. "Alejandro, pay the boy and escort him out of the building."

"Yes, Ma-" The Black Watchman was too late as the pair had already slammed the door shut. "-dam… Okay, little friend, how much are you couriers paid?" Alejandro could have spoken from a mile away because that was how Juan heard it.

 _The whole of Santa Clair d-d-destroyed by a tr—_

An armored hand shook his shoulder. "Are you alright, boy?" He snapped out of it and looked up, where he met compassionate eyes through the slits of the knight's helmet.

"Y-Yes, it's five silver pieces…Um… don Alejandro... i-is it okay I borrow the bathroom?"

"Oh, so that is what troubles you! Sure go ahead. It's upstairs to the far left. I'll wait for you at the entrance with your payment."

Juan nodded and hurried past Alejandro. He hated that he had to lie to the kind knight, but he could not leave without knowing the truth. It had only been a moment, but he had seen that Inquisitor Aléxandra's office was slightly out from the building — meaning it had a roof.

He rushed up the stairs and saw a corridor like the one on the 3rd floor. Granted, they had thought of assassins when they build this place because there was no direct window over the roof. Still, one could hope, and he quickly went to the window that would have been closest to the inquisitor's office. _Praise be Myrmidia!_ There was a line of classical engravings that would lead him to the roof. Although, if he fell…

 _Why did that vampire hunter have to tell me that: 'Morr favors the bold'!?_

Juan took a deep breath, and pushed open the window and pulled himself up onto the windowsill. Then he pressed his back against the outside wall and tiptoed onto the support, and stepped slowly but surely, closer to the tiny rooftop. He was shivering, but that was just the wind, right?

"AAARGH!?" His right foot tore through the support below, but his left hand caught a brick in time. A miracle that the slab was slightly outside the wall and a more massive miracle that the whole building did not hear his heartbeat. He gritted his teeth and stepped over the hole in the support and continued onward.

"F-For truth!" It was a weak battle cry, but it still gave him strength. A couple of steps and a drop later, and he was on top of the tile-covered roof.

Although one thing stood out.

Where was the sound of talking adults?

 _They have the windows closed!_ He bit into his arm to muffle his scream.

Then the windows opened up below. "I'm sorry; I need some air," said Aléxandra's stressed voice below.

Juan blinked, removed the arm from his mouth, and slumbered down exhausted.

"No worries, Alèx… you spoke of a traitor?"

"Yes. I'm sure you know of Don Javier Vera Lanza de la Estrella."

"Santa Clair's Grand Admiral of the fleet... you can't be serious..." _._

"I am."

"DAMM MAGGOT OF A MAN!" A slam sounded out below. "Why did he do it!? Money!? Power!?"

"Our agents found him naked on his bed with... _body fluids_ all over his nether regions... and a Druchii knife in his heart."

Pure ice coursed through Juan's veins. _Dark Elves_.

" _Holy Myrmidia above_ ," whispered Jerómino, "a whole kingdom enslaved because a Grand Admiral wanted his dick wet..."

"Indeed. We can assume that is why the Clarian fleet was sent south-east under the pretense of a naval drill, while the Black Ark attacked the island from the north-west…"

Now.

Now, Juan knew why the whole of Magritta was frightened. Black Arks were the stuff of nightmares. Floating fortress-palaces the size of islands that enslaved thousands. There was not one Estalian who did not dread them. _How could you allow this, Myrmidia?... Are we not your favored children!?... TO THE ABYSS WITH Y—!?_

The tile beneath his foot gave away and caused him to tumble down. _Shit! Shit! Shit!_ He scrambled after something and managed to grab onto a tile that held. _Phew... that was clo—_

Aléxandra and Jerónimo had turned silent below.

 _Oh no._

A pistol boomed and ripped open the tiles between his legs.

 _TAP DANCING PRIEST OF MORR, SHIT!_

He scrambled onto his feet as another bullet burst from below. Luckily, the dread welded his mouth shut — greatly muffling his scream — and Juan ran like every daemon of Chaos was after him. A third bullet exploded the tiles in front of him and sent pieces of ceramic flying everywhere, he threw up his hand to protect his face, and jumped onto the engravings and started rush-tiptoeing towards the window.

Juan grabbed the window side and screamed out in pain, he twisted his hand around and saw a piece of ceramic in his palm. _Curses!_ He ripped it out and barreled into the corridor and continued forward into the wall on the other side. _Think! THINK!_

A desperate idea surfaced for a desperate time.

He began to furiously rub his bleeding hand against his stomach and then dragged himself further into the corridor, away from the doorway.

Someone thundered up the stairs, and the Diestro appeared in the doorway with sword and dagger ready.

Juan saw how the trained killer raised a confused eyebrow, yet, kept the swords of death pointed at him. The minor knew that if he did not pull this off, then he would end up like Arabyan shish kebab. "I AM FINE! THE ASSASSIN MERELY CUT ME AND RAN UP THE STAIRS!"

Jerónimo paused, and Juan started to whimper, but then pure bloodlust exploded out of the Diestro — who with a nod — turned around, and rushed after the non-existent assassin.

One thing was sure: Juan did not want to be here when Jerónimo found out he had tricked him.

He pulled off his shirt and turned it inside out, and rushed down the stairs as he put it back on.

Hundred of armored boots drummed below, and Juan saw a whole chapter a Black Watchmen rushing up the stairs. "ASSASIN UP THE STAIRS! ASSASIN UP THE STAIRS!" The Knights fell for his ruse and barreled up without question. He began to dodge the Myrmidian fanatics — but he did not dodge well enough.

"ARGH! GAH!?" Armored kicks and breastplates collied against him, and he tumbled down the stairs.

Only by sheer luck did he escape a life-ending stomp.

 _Ouch…_

It hurt, it hurt so much, but if he stopped now, then this was his end. He dragged himself up and waddled toward the door. The door handle was smooth in his hand, and he readied his legs — before ripping open the door.

Alejandro and the other watchman stood ready outside, but they were not prepared for a child, and he twisted around them with ease.

"BOY! WAI—"

Alejandro's voice disappeared as Juan fled into an alley.

He ran, and he ran, and he ran.

Until he finally reached his destination at the very end of Magritta.

The harbor.

He stood at the edge, no noise present, but the grey waves hitting the anchored ships, with an occasional creak from the sails. It hurt — and he knew where the pain came from. He reached under his woolen shirt and grabbed the piece around his neck.

 _How long have I had it... it matters not._

He ripped it away from his neck. _No useless goddess,_ and tensed his posture. _DESERVE WORSHIP!_

A hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.

"Well, well, well..." Said a silken voice behind him. Juan looked over his shoulder and saw a man hidden away in a hooded cloak. "Does my eyes deceive me?" The man twisted his wrist and revealed the object to him. It was the only thing left of his faith — his pendant of Myrmidia. "Aha, they do not."

"Release me, rogue!"

"Quite an expensive pendant you got there. Yet, you are about to throw into the sea… why?"

 _Why? WHY!?_

Juan snapped and told the man the truth behind Santa Clair. How Myrmidia had allowed a traitor to take the spot of Grand Admiral, and thus damned a whole kingdom to a fate worse than death.

The man tightened the grip, and Juan cried out in pain. "I see, so that was how it happened… Thank you for the information, apostate. Now, tell me your name."

His name? The name that had Magritta in it? The same Saint who had led his people away from the primordial city to Estalia? No, he would not be called anything with that puppet of the uncaring goddess... No... he would be called… "Juan the faithless."

"'Juan the faithless'... quite an interesting little soul you are to declare yourself an enemy of the gods at such a young age."

"Why do you care, _freak_?"

"Usually when people despair they flee into distraction… But not you... you did something that I prefer; you began to hate." Even though he could not see the face of the hooded man, the hooded man must have been able to see the confusion on his face easily. "Hatred can be molded, fueled, built on. Distractions bring only decay, allowing your enemies to laugh as you wither away in misery."

"... Your speaking madness."

"Am I?" The man released his wrist and turned around. "Follow me, and I shall show you, or stay and decay like the rest of the city." The hooded-man then went towards a nearby sailor's tavern.

Juan stood a moment and stared down at his pendant, before following the mysterious man.

Stenches of sweat, roars of laughter and fumes of alcohol assaulted him as the hooded-man opened the doors to the tavern. "Stay close, stay silent, and observe." He nodded and kept his mouth shut as the man continued forward. "The man you see to your left…" Juan glanced to the side and saw a man making out with a whore. "Is a happily married rear admiral who recently got his 3rd child."

 _Disgusting._

The boy gritted his teeth as he went deeper into the tavern.

"At your far-right, you can see a dancing man upon a table." The hooded man was correct, a buffoon of a drunkard was dancing upon a table like an idiot. "That man is our leading prodigy of naval artillery; said to have never missed a fired cannonball after calculation."

 _Disgusting._

The man led him up to the 1st floor of the tavern and continued forward to a railing that gave a complete overview over the whole level below. "Do you see the woman at the hidden away table in the corner?"

Juan searched and found the table after a short while. A scantily clad woman giggled with two sailors in a table concealed by lousy lighting.

"That woman is a priestess of Myrmidia. I take it your religious education is not so puny to not know what that means?"

He felt bile build up in his throat. "She has taken vows."

"Indeed she has. She is not expecting anyone to know that under the pretense of her outfit, and she would be correct, no one would know better — was she not one of the leading candidates for learning the Inquisitorial soul arts."

 _Disgusting._

Juan looked up the hooded-man. "I get your point, but what does this have to do with my hatred of Myrmidia?"

"How does it feel, seeing all of this?"

 _Disgusting, disgusting, disgusti_ —

"Disgusting?"

Juan stepped away from the hooded man. "H-How did you know?"

"Because I feel the same way." This time there was a sense of warmth to the man's silken voice, which shocked Juan to the core. "Then again; ask yourself this. Are you truly angry at Myrmidia? _Or are you angry at those that squander their duty-bound responsibility?_ "

Burning anger erupted in the blond boy. "OF COURSE I'M ANGRY WITH THE THEM, BUT WHAT DOES IT _MATTER_ IF IT WAS MYRMIDIA WHO GAVE THEM THEIR RESPONSIBILITY!?"

The man's hand shot out and grabbed Juan's shirt. "Everything! Everything _matters_ in the question alone!" The pull continued, and Juan felt his feet leave the wooden floor. "Do you not think that Myrmidia's HUMAN heart is ripped apart by sorrow, for the people of Santa Clair!? Do you not think that Verena and Morr will sentence those bastards responsible to a faith twice as terrible as every innocent victim!? DO YOU!?" The hooded man released the grip and Juan fell to the floor.

"B-But…" Music, laughter, alcohol. It was drowning him, and he could not keep himself together as tears ran down his cheeks. "W-We still lost S-Santa Clair…"

A soft hand took his shoulder, and Juan looked up to see the hooded man in front of him on his knees. _"Have we?_ " There was no anger in the man's voice, only warmth. "Look there..." The hooded man pointed in between the railings at a table in the middle. "Do you see the man scribbling below next to the sleeping drunkard?"

Juan nodded.

In the middle of the tavern sat a young caped man, who was drawing and measuring something on a big piece of parchment. "... Is he also someone special?" The caped man, who looked to be in his 20's, had a furious look on his face — but more strangely — his eyes lacked the same drunken haze that everyone else had. _Why is tha—!_ Juan noticed that the man had yet to touch his full tankard in front of him.

"Partially. From what I can conclude he appears to be the second-in-command to the sleeping captain beside him." The hooded man chuckled warmly. "He has the same look you had."

"So he's angry like me... but how does that save Santa Clair? "

"Look closer."

Juan focused once more on the man, but he could not see anything different, so he focused on the parchment instead and then it hit him. "He's doing navigation on a map!"

"Precisely! Fires of retribution burns in his soul! But, he is sadly held back by his snoring superior." The hooded man clenched his hand into a fist. "Tell me, what do you think of him?"

Juan paused for a moment and gathered his thoughts. "Um…"

"Yes, go on."

"It's… sad, that he isn't the captain."

"Why? In about 40 min he will have gathered enough to courage to make a mutiny and take the ship by force." The man stood up to his full height. "And join his ship to the saintly souls who went after the Black Ark as soon as they heard the news!"

 _He's right!_ Juan had been sick, after all. How many noble sailors had not sailed right after the Black Ark! Why they had probably already liberated the people of Santa Clair from the wretched Dark Elves!

"Of course, he would be joining them at the bottom of the sea." The hooded man saw him going pale and continued. "There did not leave enough ships to ever hope of taking down a Black Ark..."

Juan clenched his teeth. "Then they died for nothin— OW!?" A swift chop to the forehead silenced him.

" _Never_ , call the sacrifice of our best souls for nothing! Those souls threw themselves at the beast hoping to wound it... perhaps they did, or perhaps they did not… It matters not." The hooded man turned towards the balcony. "What matters is that they brought us _time!_ " He then slammed open the door and went outside. " _Follow_."

The sheer authority in the last word made Juan follow without question. A thousand questions went through his head, but one was louder than all of them. "Brought us time for what?"

"For the greatest stratagem in the history of mankind." The hooded-man reached into his cloak and pulled out a rare pocket watch.

Tic-tac.

Tic-tac.

For the first time did Juan see a massive grin appear on the hooded man's otherwise hidden face. "It begins." He then pocketed it and threw an open hand towards the harbor. "Behold!"

...

Nothing.

...

Nothing happened.

...

"Um… Behold wha—!?" The whole harbor, nay the entirety of the Bay of Quietude exploded in light. "Gaargh! My eyes! What is wrong with... you... b _y Myrmidia..._ " He could not believe his hurting eyes.

A miracle, a literal miracle.

Myrmidia's golden eagle burned in the skies over Magritta.

Deafening roars of jubilation shook the whole city as the citizens saw the phenomenon above. The people in the tavern — like everyone else in the capital — stormed out to the streets and instantly sobered up.

Juan fell to his knees and cried tears of happiness. "A miracle... We are blessed!"

"Hmm…yes, that would be a miracle of a first class if it was real."

"What!?" He realized that the man next to him had been unfazed the whole time as if he… _No, he couldn't have…_

"This is merely what six master Pyromancers can achieve by getting a sack of gold each." The hooded-man chuckled. "The true miracle is out _there_!" Juan looked where the man pointed and gasped.

Ships, more ships than he thought existed in the world, filled the entirety of the Bay of Quietude.

"THIS is what three days of ceaseless planning have accomplished! Tigarre, Tobarro, and even Brionne send their ships to our great cause of retribution!"

Unbelievable.

Tigarra's war sloops, quick, maneuverable, and deadly, sailed the bay like they were back home in the rocky gulf around their capital of Bilbali; Tobaro's Reikland bought Helhammergalleys, known for their single, massive, all-destroying cannons of death; Brionne's beautiful Bretonnian Galleons, whose sheer size ratified their names as the Grail Knights of the sea and even...

"The Royal Armarda," whispered the awestruck boy.

The kingdom's legendary armada of massive four-decker destroyers, 140 cannons each, and built with the sole purpose of hurling every single Sartosan pirate to the bottom of Menann's locker.

" _Amazing._ " The sheer power he was witnessing gave him goosebumps. "But..." Doubt clouded his mind. "I-If the miracle is fake t-then what's the point?"

"Shhh…" The hooded man merely pressed his forefinger against the spot where his mouth would have been. "Watch the people below us..."

Juan looked down and saw that the reaction in the street was wide and varied. Some People were pinching themselves; some were down on their knees in prayers — the priestess, in particular, was laying down in a full-blown prostration — and some were crying while clenching a Myrmidian fist over their hearts. Everyone was affected by the vision in one way or another, but one soul stood out in the mass of people…

The caped man.

It was the caped man who stood out amongst the crowd as he watched the bay of Quietude with a smile that bordered on the brink of madness. Then the smile disappeared, and clear purpose took its place. He hit two sailors and barked some orders at them, and the sailors sprung into motion.

One of the sailors went back into the tavern, and the other one brought a crate and placed it down in front of the crowd, which the caped man then proceeded to jump on top of. "My Estalian brothers and sisters, hear me!" Everyone turned and gave him their attention and the caped man pointed his map straight up in the air, with the flaunt of a master actor. "Look above you! Myrmidia herself has given us a sign that she is with us!" The first sailor pushed apart the crowd and presented the captain's hat to the caped man, who snatched it and placed it upon his head. "Come, my brethren! Join my crew! And I swear on the name of Capitán Miguel de Casa Moreno; that our ship will be the one bring down the Black Ark!" He then opened up the map and revealed a marking north-west from Santa Clair — his determined location of the Black Ark.

The crowd and Juan erupted in cheers, and even the hooded man gave a soft applaud.

"Hmm… not too shabby…"

Juan gave the hooded man half an ear, as he was focusing on the lamenting priestess who went up to the Captain and whispered something in his ear.

"I would have preferred more descriptive words but all in all, it was a decent speech."

Capitán Miguel de Casa Nova turned white as snow and quickly threw his cape around the repentant priestess, and gave her a protective kiss on the top of her head. The crowd exploded in cheers as everyone thought that the Captain was solely helping a lady of the night, out of honor. It did not go unnoticed by the Captain who seized the moment to lead the crowd away with a roar to where — Juan assumed — his newly acquired ship was docked.

" _Ahh_ , there is nothing more beautiful than seeing people rise from the ashes of destruction..." The hooded man sighed with bliss. "Sadly, I was not needed to give a sermon to fire up those three individuals. Oh well, I found two interesting souls instead, haha!"

Now Juan had to know the truth. "Who are you?"

The hooded man turned to him with a half-hidden grin. "What force in the whole of Estalia could plot something of this magnitude?" He pulled off his hood. "I am Fr. Bernardo, priest of Myrmidia, and co-plotter to this grand scheme." The priest revealed himself to be a scarred, bald man, whose lone monocle framed the enormous intellect that was present in his eyes. He then gave Juan a warm smile and a slight bow. "Hopefully I have helped a lost soul return to the fold, _yes_?"

Two fires must have ignited in Juan's cheeks because they suddenly became hot. "I-I-I-I am s-s-still Juan the f-faithless!" He pressed his arms together to show the good Father that he had _not_ convinced him that easily.

"He, is that so? Well, Juan the faithless, please do come to my sermon tomorrow at San Pedro's temple as... hmph?" Juan followed Fr. Bernardo's eyes and looked up to the skies where the flaming Myrmidian eagle was beginning to go out. "I see, so that is the limit of their powers." The bald man sighed as night once again fell over Magritta. "Sienna said it would last all night, but I guess even wizards can be wrong sometimes." He chuckled and reached into his cloak and pulled out a bag of coins. "Well, Juan, it was nice meeting you, but I have a fiery doña Fuegonasus that I need to pay. But before that..." Fr. Bernardo then opened up the bag and took out a single golden coin. "Here, my friend."

Juan took the gold coin with awe. It was the first time that he had ever received so much. "Thank you, Fr. Bernardo!"

"I'm sure the coin will be of great help with the ensuring problems." The man laughed and then surprised Juan once more by jumping gracefully down to the ground, before walking away with a wave. "Remember to come to my sermon tomorrow, Juan!"

"Of course, Father! Thank you for the coin and the adventure!"

Juan sighed blissfully on the balcony. What day it had been. First, he had secured a cannonball to his name; then he had proven himself the youngest person ever to escape the Inquisition; and t—

 _Wait..._

What did the kind Father mean when he said that the coin would 'help with the ensuring problems'?

The blond boy worked the gears in his mind, and then it hit him like a war hammer.

 _Aaaaaaaaaaaaa! I'm late! My dad is going to kill me, and then my mom is going to kill my corpse and THEN!..._

He spun around and ran home before his sisters joined in the killing.

* * *

Pyrrha hurried after the white-haired girl who was marching straight towards the Headmaster's office elevator. "I can't believe you, Yang!"

"How would I have known that he didn't have an Aura!?"

"You should have hold yourself back!"

"Why do you care!?"

 _Maybe I should have kept the Aura unlock a secret…_

" _Why!?_ " Weiss spun around — stopping Pyrrha and the rest of the group in their tracks. "I will tell you _why_. You think you got ' _this_ ' close to killing someone, that somehow a miracle took place that saved him — but you're wrong." The Heiress' voice was as cold as the place she came from. "You did kill him."

Yang went pale, paler than Pyrrha ever imagined the confident girl could be.

"Weiss, plea—"

"No, Ruby! It's the truth. It doesn't matter, whether it was by intention or not, but to Arc's family and his friends he is nothing like the Arc they know!"

Pyrrha placed a comforting hand on the youngest girl, to let her know that she would be there for her.

"That is not entirely true, Schnee," assured Ren. "Arc has still kept his last name so there is some hope that he _migh_ t regain his memories in the future."

"Correct, which is why Yang will only face expulsion."

"WHAT!?"

"WEISS!?"

Weiss turned around. "You should be relieved, Yang. The SDC will see to it that Arc receive the best care available." She then went forward without looking back.

Ruby's already terrible mood — plummeted —and she began to whimper. Pyrrha went closer to offer the scythe-wielder a shoulder, but Yang pushed her away and hugged Ruby. "Don't worry, sis, I am _not_ leaving Beacon."

"B-B-But.." Ruby's voice died out, and she instead hugged Yang like she was a life ring in the middle of the ocean.

 _I should not have told them._

A darker voice whispered that not only had she told them, but she had also kept the Aura unlock flashback away from them. She silenced the whisper with the excuse that if the news spread, then she and Arc would find themselves targeted by every scientist on Remnant. Now, only Arc would be targ—

Pyrrha froze.

She was about to lose her first real friend. Yes, he was a fake persona caused by head trauma, but Pyrrha had still seen bits and pieces of genuine kindness in Arc And for that, she could not allow the Headmaster to send him to a madhouse. She went after Weiss. At first, her steps were steady, but soon she broke into an Aura empowered sprint and caught up with the Heiress.

Weiss had already reached the elevator and seemed to wait for it to go down, and she noticed her coming with a slight smile. "I was starting to fear that I would have to go up alone. I'm glad that you came Pyrrha."

"Y-Yeah, that was the reason..."

Weiss seemed to buy her lie and gave her a nod. The elevator arrived shortly after and they stepped inside.

"GIRLS, WAIT!" Pyrrha saw Professor Port come running towards the elevator. "HOLD IT Pl-" The doors closed before he could finish. She looked back into the elevator and gasped.

Weiss Schnee, the perfect heiress, had a finger pressed on the button to the Headmaster's office. "I knew something was fishy with professor Peach's story..."

Pyrrha was still shocked the heiress had it in her.

"Of course! We were monitored so headmaster Ozpin must have realized the truth behind Juan, before any of us!"

That brought her back to reality. "But why would Ozpin make up a lie about… Weiss, do you hear that?" Someone was running up the stairs next to the elevator. No… someone _had_ run past the elevator.

"... I think I might have misjudged Professor Port's determination…"

The elevator doors opened up, but instead of the plump teacher appearing — a heavy breathing, red-eyed Yang appeared. "You really are a grade A bitch for doing that to my little sister, Weiss." She looked ready to kill, and Pyrrha adjusted her posture for a close quarter battle with the blonde brawler.

Yang rolled her eyes and stepped in. "Relax." The elevator closed behind her, and the protective sister's red-eyes shifted back into light purple ones. "I'm just coming with you two."

* * *

 _Interesting, very interesting._

Ozpin took a big sip to refresh his throat, and the blond storyteller did the same. The two of them had gone back-and-forth over the story, with Glynda joining in here and there. "So I take it you went to the sermon?'

"That I did!" Jaune — or Juan as he thought himself to be — had seemingly lost his nervousness after beginning the narration of his childhood memory, and made it seem like they were nothing but the closest of friends.

This was a facade, of course, a first-rate facade, but more importantly, an _unreasonable_ facade.

 _What game are you playing?_ Ozpin had seen the minuscule signs when the boy _was_ lying, he could do it exceptionally well, but he had not. Instead, he had turned into the direct opposite — a completely open book.

'Juan' had answered every question, every request for a further explanation and more.

Even Glynda had started looking flustered as the question he asked continued to become increasingly more personal. Yet, the boy answered them as readily as one would explain what the time was.

It made absolutely no sense.

"And how did you get the Diestro to take you an apprentice?" Not only that, the boy had requested food and drink, and by the three dirty plates on his desk, had no fears for either poisoning or drugging.

"Well… " The student blushed and scratched his cheek — carefree as ever. "After the sermon, I was told by Fr. Bernardo to tell the truth to Inquisitor Aléxandra and Maestro Jeronimó… and let's just say my options were either polishing Watchman armor till I died or become a Diestro apprentice."

"They wanted you to become a Diestro?" Ozpin relented. If the mad boy's plot was to reveal everything to him, then why shouldn't he play along?

" _What, has my amazing wits and quick thinking, not convinced you?_ " Juan looked around after agreement, but it disappeared after finding no such thing. "... He wanted a child playmate."

Glynda gasped.

The boy looked confused, but then realization hit him. "I didn't mean it like that! Urgh! Shallaya's mercy, he wanted someone the same age as the daughter of the one he was guarding."

Ozpin chuckled. "You got tricked."

"Finally! Someone gets me! Yeah, the old wolf fooled me good, but he was the honorable sort, so he kept his end of the bargain." Juan brought up his cup, but it seemed to be empty as he looked into it with one eye. "Glynda, be a dear." And then he did the unbelievable by actually shaking his glass at the woman for a telekinetic refill.

Glynda responded by pulverizing the cup into dust.

Juan crocked his head to the side and looked down onto his former cup, nicely pulverized into a beautiful hill on the floor. "... Why doesn't she like me?"

Ozpin saw his golden moment. "She just wishes she was fourteen years younger with you around."

"Ah, that makes sense. I'm sure she was a real cutie back then."

"I. Can. Still. Hear. You."

"My bad! You're still cute!'

Glynda's knuckles went white as she bent her riding crop to the breaking point. "Sir, can I punish him?"

"No, remember I promised him that we would not retaliate until he attacks us first."

"Exactly, so ease that frown on your pretty face, _Señorita_ , and save your anger for the future when _you_ and _I_ dance."

His deputy turned pale under the scandalous lewd remark, and Ozpin knew he had to step in to save the crazed student. "Dance as in _dueling_ , Glynda."

"Or real dancing! Either give me an arena or a fine guitar tune, and I'll give you a time that you will never forget!"

Ozpin knew that a subject change was needed before pieces of Jaune ruined the aesthetic of his office. "Might I give you a suggestion. Ask her after a change of clothes."

The boy looked absolutely appalled. " _Are you saying my poncho is not a work of art!?_ "

"I'm saying that your poncho, is tattered, sweaty and dirty. Fortunately, I've already called Professor Port to offer assistance with clothing, as you are currently without any clothes of your own…"

"Hey! _Try having only grey bunny marked clothing to wear!_ "

"Was going nude really the better alternative?"

"Yes. _The only bunnies I approve of are those in caramel stew_ , or the cute, shy, and brunette type."

So not only were Jaune more open than a book, but he could also be blunter than Ironwood when he wanted to. "...You've met Ms. Velvet Scarlatina, I see."

That would prove a problem when he decided to tell the boy what he had in store for him.

"Hard to miss such adorable ears… _oh no._.. what about my name!?"

"What do you mean?"

"How do I reintroduce myself!? Y _ou must understand that I refuse to use, or be called by my name while possessing this_ … Look-a-like." The blond gave him a look that spoke that he would be willing to die for this statement

Ozpin realized that the boy had yet to figure out their connection. _Payback time_. Only all his years of training kept his poker face from cracking. "Arc."

The newly named Arc looked at him like he was stupid. "... That is still my name."

"Didn't you know? You both share the same last name." Pure shock exploded in the boy's face. "Yes, and as I just tested, it has no negative side effect."

"Arc… _Arc_ … Arc." The boy repeated it to himself in a whisper, shifting between normal and accented pronunciation. He then brought up his hand and activated his Aura — showing a turmoiled clashing of white and gold.

 _Worth it._

Arc clenched his fist and continued to clench it — causing the knuckles to crack under pressure.

* * *

Weiss and Pyrrha looked at her like she was crazy. Not that she was not _used_ to people looking at like that, but it still hurt. "Yeah, I know. I… I messed up…"

3 floors left.

"Messed up? _Messed up!?_ "

"Weiss..."

"Messing up is when you spill a drink over a new dress, Pyrrha! What Yang has done is ruin someone's life!"

"I KNOW!" The two other girls turned to her with wide eyes, but she did not care. "I know… "

2 floors left.

"Hmf, at least your heart is at the right place, but don't think it will be accepted by the teachers, and especially _not_ Arc..." Weiss tone was without anger, and Yang swallowed a lump in her throat. "The school was watching our initiation, Yang, they _know_ what went down in the Emerald Forest..."

Fear. She had felt it in her childhood. She had felt it when Ruby was in danger. And she had felt it when the boy who thought himself to be 'Juan' had pierced her with executioner's eyes. But this was _not_ what she felt. This was something different. A slithering touch that crept up her neck like a centipede… it was…

"Why do you think that he did not meet us on the cliff like he promised he would?" Whispered Pyrrha.

Nausea.

1 floor left.

"Undoubtedly they must have already told him everything." The heiress turned her attention to the doors behind her. "Better prepare yourself for the sight of a boy who knows he is living a lie."

Yang could see it. The blond boy hunched over, shaking, and afraid.

He would look at them with desperation, and then when he learned the truth, fury. There was no doubt in her mind that he would never speak with her again. She knew that. But Yang also knew that she would face the consequences — no matter what.

She turned around and faced the elevator with the heiress and his red-haired partner.

Ding.

The elevator opened up, just in time for them to see Arc sucker punching the Headmaster in the face. " _YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT FIRST, YOU SACK OF SHIT!"_

Silence fell over the office. There he was. One foot atop Ozpin's desk and the other one on a chair below.

 _Had he always been so tall?_

Arc turned around with a furious expression — that morphed into wide-eyed worry as soon as he saw them. "Girls, I—" Glynda slammed him into the spinning gears above before he could finish.

* * *

 **Author's ramblings.**

 **Savage Theron:**

*Snaps fingers* All exams are passed.

...

Wait, I need the infinity stones for that, dammit, guess we're _not_ saving Solarblaster from kicking the bucket by scholarly introduced stress... I just hope he doesn't go through with the plan of summoning a Lord of Change for help... Anyways! Here's the latest chapter, my dear readers!

Thanks against for all the reviews, and cya next time!


	6. Chapter 6

" _Good news ya, sea-dogs! Today we will have the honor of transporting the Toreador of Drakwald and his followers to Lustria! Now, I haven't seen the Diestro myself, but…."_ — Capitán Fernández de Bilbali later found out it was not good news.

* * *

Pyrrha was starting to think that destiny had realized she was missing her 'crazy friendship moments' and were now throwing them all once. Because not only was her partner unaffected, but he had even punched the headmaster in the face — which promptly got him telekinetically slammed up in the spinning gears above — and speaking of her partner being slammed up in gears.

"Arc!"

She shot forward with an Aura boost and caught the falling boy in time. "Arc?" The boy did not react.

"THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM!?"

"How could you attack a mentally unstable person!? Granted he _did_ attack the Headmaster but— _Yang! Don't!_ "

She raised her eyes and saw Yang get ensnared in purple Semblance circles before falling over.

"This is _exactly_ why you should _think_ before acting." Lectured Weiss, as the brawler in question wriggled on the floor like a caterpillar.

"Oh, shut u— _HMPH!?_ " A purple mask materialized around Yang's mouth before she could finish.

Pyrrha shook her head and returned her focus on the unconscious boy. She lowered her face down to his mouth — and felt a warm exhale of air.

 _Thank goodness. He's breathing._

The knot in her stomach eased, and she turned around to the elevator with Arc in her arms.

"And where do you think you're going, Ms. Nikos?" Ozpin's voice cut through the headmaster's office like a hot knife in butter; silencing the arguing that had filled the room.

She would never admit it openly, but a dark part of her wished that Arc had punched harder. "Unconsciousness is _always_ a life-threatening situation, sir. So I'm taking him to the school nursery."

"Correct, but this is not normal circumstances." She turned around and saw the grey-haired man — perfectly unharmed. "You have nothing to worry about, Ms. Nikos. My deputy was merely following my orders."

" _Excuse me!?"_

" _HMPH!?_ "

The headmaster glanced over to the two other girls in the room. "Ms. Goodwitch, please release Ms. Xiao long's restraints."

"Sir." Goodwitch waved her riding crop, and all restraints on Yang disappeared. The now red-eyed brawler sprung back up from the ground with a defensive posture, but there was no followup attack.

"Good. You've realized your limits."

"Why."

"Hm?" Ozpin gave her a side glance and reached for what she assumed to be his coffee-pot. "You were saying, Ms. Nikos?"

"Why would you give such an order?"

"Simple." The headmaster poured himself a fresh cup. "This will allow us to speak freely without feelings clouding your judgment."

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Growled Yang.

Ozpin merely raised the cup and took a nonchalant sip. "You all have an important decision to make."

A ding sounded out behind her.

"Don't worry, Arc! No matter who you think you are, we're still f—" Her Aura had felt the weapons of those in the elevator, and as such, she was not surprised when Ruby materialized in front of her out of rose petals. "What happened to Arc!?"

"Perfect timing. I take it this is all who know of Arc's condition?"

She would remember the headmaster's indifference, but for now, she had other things to worry about. "Don't worry, Ruby. He's breathing." She smiled when the younger girl mirrored her own relieved face.

"If he hasn't told everyone in the school about his ' _grand titles_ ' then yes it would be all." Sneered Weiss.

"Excellent, then I will repeat myself: You all have an important decision to make."

"Ooooh, are we picking rooms?" Nora and Ren joined her on each side. "Hey, why is Arc napping?"

Ren took the boy's wrist and put two fingers on his tendon before nodding to himself.

"The choice you all have, Ms. Valkyrie. Is whether Mr. Arc will stay at Beacon or not."

Pyrrha almost dropped the boy in shock.

"Really!?"

"Awesome!"

Cheered Ruby and Nora at the same time.

"You can't be serious!?" Shrieked Weiss.

"You can't be serious." Deadpanned Blake.

"Why would you give us a choice in the matter?" Asked Ren.

The cane-wielding headmaster raised a quieting hand and turned his attention towards her. "Ms. Nikos, please put Mr. Arc in the recovery position." He gave her a slight smile. "I may not look like it, but I do care for my students."

"Of course, headmaster." Pyrrha sprung into motion.

"Now, you all must have plenty of theories concerning the cause of Mr. Arc's... _condition_."

First, she kneeled down and gently placed him down furthest away from the others.

"I did it."

Pyrrha paused and glanced over her shoulder — revealing that Yang had stepped forward. She might not think fondly of the blond brawler, but she did respect her willingness to take responsibility.

 _Hopefully, Yang only gets expelled._

"... I see… And how exactly did you cause it?"

 _Hopefully._

Pyrrha returned to face Arc and allowed her hidden smirk to emerge.

"I punched him in the head."

She took his left arm and placed it, so the hand pointed upwards on the floor. Then she picked up his other hand and put the palm of his hand onto his left cheek. Now, according to the protocol: she should bend his knee and use it as a lever as taught to civilians. However, she had gotten quite fit after all of her years in the arena, and could easily roll him over without it.

"You punched him in the head?... May I ask why?"

 _Does he find muscles unattractive?_

"He puked in her hair, so Yang went berserk and used all of her strength when he did not even have an Aura." Explained Weiss.

" _Weiss!"_ Hissed the condemned blonde.

Pyrrha removed his hand she had used as neck-support and corrected a lock of blond hair back to the side of his face. _No, he did call me a red-haired beauty._ Her heart skipped a beat at the memory, and she gently raised his chin to give him unhindered airflow.

"... Ms. Goodwitch, please bring up Ms. Xiao Long's files from Signal Academy."

Pyrrha gave the unconscious Arc a last smile, before standing up to face the group with a severe expression. A small voice in the back of her head had wondered why the deputy had taken it so lightly that Yang had punched an Aura-less Arc, but now she had the answer — Ms. Goodwitch were stunned by the revelation.

"Glynda?" Ozpin asked once again but this time with a hint of worry.

That seemed to wake her up. "S-Sir." She quickly brought up her Scroll and started tapping away. "... Mr. Xander... Ms. Xeno… ah, here she is." The black pencil skirt wearing assistant handed her Scroll to the headmaster. " _Ms. Xiao Long_."

"Thank you, Ms. Goodwitch." Ozpin's took the scroll and read the screen. "It says here that your punching speed is almost as fast an eyeblink at 0.38 seconds, and that your average punching power is calculated at 15607 pounds."

 _What!?_

"And that your Semblance strength has yet to be calculated."

 _WHAT!?_

She wasn't the only one shocked to the core if the myriads of gasps were anything to count on. Yang was already up with A class strength-focused huntsmen on average, but she had hit Arc with a Semblance empowered punch — and from what little she knew of the blond brawler — it was most likely related to her eyes and gave her some sort of strength boost. Yet, if her _average_ punch could explode an Aura-less person's head with ease then—

"Luckily for you, Mr. Arc's Semblance saved you from becoming a murder."

One could hear the gears turning in the room for how quiet it had become.

"What do you mean?" Whispered Yang with a voice that was relieved, ashamed, and uneasy, all at once.

Ozpin stood up from his chair and went over to the window, giving them a clear look at the back of his green coat. "There are many things we do not know about the Soul. We know that it is linked to Aura — which in turn is linked to Semblance. But how did it come to be? How does it work? Why are some Semblances connected to ancestry-"

Pyrrha noticed Weiss straighten her back.

"-while others are gained under life-threatening experiences?"

"Like me!" She, like everyone, turned to Nora, and even the headmaster could not keep himself from looking away. "I got hit by lighting, and now I'm chargeable!"

"Right. Thank you for the follow-up, Ms. Valkyrie... What I am trying to say is that we have yet to see the _furthest_ of what the Soul can achieve. Although, now." Ozpin raised a hand towards the unconscious boy. "We have reached another milestone in the subject." It was clear as day on the headmaster's face that there was no doubt about it, but then an expression of puzzlement came forth. "Ms. Rose, may I ask you a question?"

"Ahh, please just call me, Ruby! Ms. Rose makes me sound too ladylike and noble, like Weiss."

"Hey!"

The headmaster placed his fingers together. "Ms. Rose, please, you've done nothing wrong, I'm merely curious if you saw Professor Port as you came up? He should have been here a while ago."

"Uhhh..."

The fire door flew up and a huffing, sweating Professor Port, staggered inside. "I * _huff_ * made * _huff*_ it! Sorry, Oz— Mr. Arc!" Port showed why he was a teacher at Beacon when he appeared next to the boy in an eyeblink. "Good heavens! What happened to him!?"

"Relax, Professor. _I_ knocked him out. So he's in no danger whatsoever." Asserted Glynda.

"I see..." The Professor's frown eased. " _So he even went after Glynda. Ahh, Mr. Arc, you remind me more about my youth everyday, hehe."_ Whispered the mustached man to himself — but he must have missed Pyrrha standing right next to him.

" _I_ am also watching him, Professor."

Port went wide-eyed when he heard her voice and noticed how close she was standing to Arc. "Pyrrha Nikos!? Could it be that _you_ out of all people are his…"

"Yes, I am his partner."

The plump professor shot up from the ground. "Why, that's marvelous!"

"Indeed, Peter. It truly is. Especially for the situation at hand." Spoke Ozpin with a smile that was both pleased and deathly serious.

" _Oho?_ My my, I haven't seen that expression in a while… What have you found now?"

Ozpin's eyes sharpened towards the rest of them. "I need a confirmation that nothing will leave this room, and _especially_ towards Mr. Arc before I disclose any further information."

Pyrrha had no doubts on the matter. "Arc is my partner, and I will see this through with him."

"I expected nothing less of you, Ms. Nikos. However, I will need to talk to you in private later, as you are bound by more responsibility than those present."

" _Why is that!?_ "

"It means, Ms. Schnee, that unlike the rest of you, Ms. Nikos is bound to our unconscious blond by a partnership, while the rest of you are merely required to stay silent about it."

"You think we're just gonna abandon him!?" Sneered Yang — red-eyed and angry.

"I'm merely realistic. Now, will you stay or will you leave?"

"Of course I'm staying!"

"And as I said before! Arc is my friend, and I'll make sure he won't get too angry at my big sis!"

"Yeah! Me and Ren are staying as well! Right, Ren?"

"A moment to think this through would have been nice, Nora... but yes we are staying. Arc's a decent person, and I would hate to see him fall into despair."

"I would prefer for Arc to be sent into an institution where he can receive proper help, but I'm sure you have a good reason for allowing him to stay, Headmaster?"

"Indeed, I have, Ms. Schnee."

"Then you have my word as a Schnee that nothing will pass from my lips."

There was only one who remained quiet.

"Blake?"

"I—"

"If you cannot handle the responsibility, then see yourself out."

The black-haired girl gave the heiress a glare. "... Staying quiet doesn't sound so hard."

"Spectacular! We're all in agreement! So, old Friend, what have you found?"

"A boy with a sacrificial, split-personality Semblance."

Pyrrha released her held back breath.

"Truly!?"

She had thought that was the case, but there was one word that did not sit well with her. "What do you mean by s _acrificial_ , sir?"

"It sacrificed his memories to grant a boost of power and then replaced it with the made-up memories."

"How utterly ludicrous! _"_

 _So the vision I had…._

"Hear that, Ren! Now everything makes sense!"

 _I-Is how his memory is? How horrifying._

"Yes, I know it is hard to believe, but if you still doubt me, then watch this." Ozpin activated a hologram screen above his desk, showing Arc sitting in the very same room in front of Ozpin with Glynda behind him.

Pyrrha looked up in the corners of the office. _Security cameras._

" **... So... your peoples 'fire mages' made an enormous flaming eagle appear over your capital?** _ **"**_

" _ **Not just any eagle, don Ozpin! We're talking about Myrmidia's Holy Eagle itself! Sure it was a fake miracle, yes**_ **,** _ **but the religious fervor it created was glorious!"**_

" **And all of that was worth it to attack this... 'Dark Elven black Ark?'"**

 _Dark Elven?_

" _ **Of course it was worth it!"**_ Arc sprung up from his seat and spread his arms. _**"The Druchii are the vilest and most degenerate of elves! Their black Arks are nothing but despair itself on waves, so without a doubt was the morale boost needed to board it!"**_

" **You sound like you wanted to be part of it."**

Her partner sprung around and pointed a confirming finger towards Glynda. _**"You are exactly right, witch!"**_

She couldn't help but cringe at the bold tone Arc was speaking to the veteran huntress. Some might say that she could easily win over Glynda Goodwitch, but they were wrong. The purple witch of Vale was in a league of her own.

" _ **Sadly Fr. Bernardo tricked me, so I ended up sneaking onto the nursing ship far away from the action!**_ **"**

" **You were a stowaway?"**

" _ **I prefer 'hero without transportation,' Señorita.**_ **"**

" **How horrible."**

" _ **I know! Luckily the captain's telescope was just lying there on his desk, so I took the responsibility of safeguarding it while the battle raged on.**_ **"**

"Wow." Said Blake with a hand that tried to hide the minuscule smile on her mouth. The poncho wearing boy had utterly missed the headmaster's obvious sarcasm.

 **"** _ **Ahhh, I'll never forget it! Me atop the crow's nest as the grandest naval battle in the century took place!**_ _ **Cannons boomed! Dark and white magic collided in the skies, revealing terrifying creatures like Manticores, Dragons, and more Harpies than grains in a miller sack! Hahaha, regardless, they still died under a hail of bullets! Finally, our first ship broke through the Druchii defenses and boarded the black Ark — only to meet instant annihilation by a foul tornado of magical blades...**_ **"**

Pyrrha heard a gasp and looked to the side to see Nora fixated on the screen. Arc did have a thing for storytelling, yes, but it was still made up.

" _ **But then!"**_ The blond jumped atop his chair and started doing rapid thrusts with an invisible rapier as he balanced back and forth. _**"With a resounding roar the fallen were honored, and every ship halted their bombardment and charged forward! Two-hundred of the finest ships flew forward to ram the floating monolith of death, and only a hundred and twenty ships made it! It was glorious, I tell you! Glorious!"**_

" **Glorious? You lost eighty-one ships in a suicidal charge. How is that glorious?"**

The boy froze — sprung up from the chair — and landed again with his arms crossed and eyes closed. **"** _ **I forgot. This world is still so unlearned; unguided; untaught in the matter of true glory and beauty.**_ **"** A smirk appeared on his pale face. **"** _ **Don't you see? Glory is courage, and courage is glory. We humans...**_ **"** The smirk turned into a frown. _**"Are Weak. We are humble in our early years, prideful in our prime years, and humble once more in our last years. We face abominations who outmatch us in every way... And yet,**_ **"** the frown disappeared into a face-covering grin, **"** _ **we fight on! The Druchii thought their feeble display of evil powers would break us, but they, like all our enemies, forgot humanity's greatest strength: Unwavering resolve no matter the foe! So, you see now? That charge proved everything humanity stands for! THAT is why it was glorious!**_ **"**

" **You're insane."**

Arc opened his eyes, and Pyrrha felt the air leave her. His eyes were deep like the sea, and she could have drowned in them. _**"Insanity is preferred to cowardice, señorita**_ **Goodwitch."** The seriousness disappeared, and the cheeky eyes returned once more. **"** _ **But I am getting sidetracked from my grand story! Now, after Fr. Bernardo waved goodbye I realized exactly how late it had gotten and hurried home before—**_ **"**

Ozpin paused the video. "As you all can see, he thinks his fantasy world to be the real thing."

 _Hey! I wanted to see mor—_ Pyrrha froze.

Was she… pouting? And even worse she wasn't the only girl who was doing it!?

"I say! The Semblances get stranger every year... How do you reckon it happened?"

"My theory is that his Semblance responded to the adrenaline rush from seeing miss Xiao Long's fist on an impact course with his head — and managed to place up some kind of lifesaving barrier at the cost of mister Arc's memories."

If Pyrrha had known that Beacon would be such a rollercoaster of emotion, then she would have listened to her manager and brought some anti-anxiety with her.

"... Then who exactly is he now?" Asked Ren.

"If you had asked me before his partner unlocked his Aura, then I would have said Juan. Now?... I'm not certain."

"How so?"

Ozpin turned to her. "Ms. Nikos, do you remember what Mr. Arc said about his family?"

She took a deep breath to calm her beating heart. "Y-Yes, he got a headache, so he misremembered, and told me he had two brothers instead of seven... sisters…"

She realized why exactly Ozpin had brought it up.

A smile on the renowned man's lip told her that he knew, that she knew, and he resumed the video from where it had left off.

" _ **My parents and broth—**_ **sisters would rip me apart, haha!"** As she thought. Like in the Emerald Forest, the heavy romanticized accent changed into everyday normal.

"I can't explain exactly how his power works. But I can confirm that..." Ozpin clicked a button on his Scroll, and a new image sprung up for all to see. " _Jaune_ _Arc_ does, in fact, have seven sisters."

Pyrrha's gasp was joined by nearly everyone.

It was a student file of her partner with a header photo of him equipped with the armor she first saw him in, but now looking unnaturally nervous; and as the record revealed (he was, in fact, taller than her), he was Jaune Arc, sole male scion to the Arc family, and brother to seven sisters.

"Surely," continued the headmaster, "you all heard his accent and speech change right now? It is safe to assume what we heard was Jaune's true voice, so he is indeed slowly recovering himself."

That confirmed it. Her partner was suffering from a severe case of split-personality.

"Then what are we waiting for!? Let's ready a plate of cookies and tell him the good news!" Cheered Ruby.

"No need for that, we'll just give him the blunt truth." Reasoned Weiss.

"Under no circumstances will you reveal his true name or anything about his past to him."

"W-Why not?"

"Because Glynda and I already tried earlier today and the result was... _catastrophic_ to say the least. "Ozpin sighed and pinched his brow. "Blood vomiting, shock-induced coma, and a temporary loss of memories." He removed his hand and gave them a deathly serious look. "Unless you want Mr. Arc to go through all this again, then I ask you all to keep silent about his true self until he regains his memories naturally."

"H-How could his reaction be so severe?" Whispered a whitened Weiss.

"We're thinking it might be a defensive mechanism to keep Jaune Arc from overburdening his brain with information. Lesser memories are forgotten for that sole reason, after all."

"But he's fine right now!?" Said Yang with a hand towards the unconscious boy.

"Yes, because he spent almost all of his Aura keeping himself alive. Had his quantity been lower, then I'm sure he would not have been here right now."

Pyrrha felt her stomach turn and looked down on the blond who laid unchanged in the positioning but now had a grimace. A sure sign that he was about to wake up.

 _Jaune._

It was almost cute, how he had gone through so much, and merely looked like someone had told him that his favorite show did not air tonight. She crouched and grazed his hair.

 _I promise that I'll be there until you regain your memories._

* * *

Darkness.

Darkness and headache.

For some godforsaken reason, those two things would not let him go. But at least this time he still had his memories and wasn't tied down to a chair. No, instead he was placed in some kind of a weird, uncomfortable, stretch on the floor. Although it was not all bad; someone was stroking his hair — and from what he could tell — it was a _soft_ hand, usually a good sign. He blinked away the dark and met his partner's worried face. "Well, good morning, Beautiful."

Pyrrha's shocked expression gained a bit of color, and she gave him a warm smile. "Good morning, Ar—" A force threw him up in the air, spun him around, and locked him in place with... purple runic circles.

 _Of course._

"WILL YOU CEASE WITH YOUR INFERNAL POWER DISPLAY, W... oh?" There were a lot more faces than he remembered. Ruby, Nora, Ren, Blake, and even his brother in arms, had joined the trio of beauties and were all looking up at his current upside-down predicament with wide eyes. "... I think you all might want an explanation?"

"... That would be appreciated, yes." Pyrrha, his ever adorable partner, took the initiative.

"I—"

"How are you not dead!? / Do you prefer older women, as well? / Are you a zombie!?"

He didn't even finish the first word before the tsunami of questions assaulted him. "Woah! Woah! Easy there, my friends, I'll answer _all_ of your questions in due time, but first…"

There was someone who needed his evil eye.

"Hey, Ozpin! Be a man and admit that you deserved that punch!"

The headmaster replied by taking another sip.

 _Cheeky bastard._

"Yeah hang on!" High heels clicked forward, and he looked down to find Weiss glaring at him with her right hand on her hip and the other pointing at him. "Why did you attack the headmaster!?"

"He could have saved me _a lot_ of sour taste if he had told me that I, and my name-brother, share _last name_ , señorita."

"Don't you _senorita_ me!"

"Would _'my dear'_ be more fitting?"

"URGH!"

"Arc, this isn't really a good time to be flirting."

 _Arc? Oh right, that is my name now…_ Arc sighed, "yes, you're right, my rival." He might not know what this 'flirting' meant, but it was most likely related to his higher culture. "Sadly all this blood is going straight to my poor, abused, head. It would be _nice_ if someone were to release me, _hm?_ "

The headmaster raised an amused eyebrow and waved an agreeing hand towards the blonde witch.

"My companions, please give me some space." The group nodded and stepped back just as Glynda released him.

He fell down with a smile — spun around — and landed perfectly on the floor.

 _Still got it!_

"So, about that dance, Glyn—" The green-eyed woman raised her riding crop. "Yeah yeah, I know, _sheesh_." Arc knew that look: You're walking on thin ice.

Hah! How the tide would turn once he found a rapier…

The Diestro cracked his joints and stepped over to the witch and the grey-haired man who had yet to take his eyes off him. He raised his arm — tasting the intoxicating feeling of the room's spectators tensing up — and took Ozpin's pot, and poured himself a fresh cup, and sat down in the free chair in front of the headmaster.

Arc did not need eyes in the back to know that everyone was looking at him with wide eyes as he indulged himself in the liquid gold. "Ahh~ Truly, had my people known that adding sugar to cocoa beans would produce such marvelous results, then I'm certain it would be toasted in all future banquets!" A quick spun, and the chair was whirled around so he could see take in the rest of the group.

 _I can understand they're surprised I hit don Ozpin, but do they have to look at me in that way?_

Weiss was glaring at him with frost in her eyes, but he could still see a sliver of care in them. Pyrrha yet again reminded him of a Shallyan priestess, with her half-worried, half-caring smile. Blake's big amber eyes searched unblinking for the slightest crack in his facade — he would have to keep vigilant with her around. Nora could barely contain her excitement and seemed to rattle a bit, while Ren, on the contrary, stood entirely still with an impassive look. Meanwhile, his friend of the battlefield, Professor Port had one of his normal closed eyes, open, revealing a dark brown eye with a glint of friendly inquisitiveness; and Yang...

 _Oh boy._

She was shaking for some reason.

He had to be a gentleman and do something.

"Where are my manners... want a cup?" He made sure to keep eye contact with her to know that he meant her in specific.

Bad move.

Yang's eyes turned blood-red, and she strode straight towards him with significant steps. He quickly placed his mug away. _Now, remember Diestro! No retaliation!_

Her hands shot out and pulled him up to her face. "You think this is all one big joke, _huh_?" Arc had expected fire and flames from Yang, not a low whisper of cold steel.

 _Wh-What? What's up with h—!?_

It struck him like a crossbow bolt to the chest.

The Possession.

How could he have forgotten!?

 _Keep the mask in place. Keep. The. Mask. In. Place!_

This was neither his world, nor his body, nor his time. This was the time of his name-brother, and he had _robbed_ him of it! And to make matters worse… it was dark outside. Meaning he was knocked out long enough for them to have been told everything by the headmaster.

 _... Breathe… Breathe!_

He was an abomination, and they all knew it.

But…

Why were this particular girl's eyes so filled with pain and worry?

Did he mean so much to her?

If that was the case then…

"I'm sorry, Sunflower," he placed his hands upon hers, "It was uncouth of me to jest in the seriousness of my situation." He was indeed an abomination, but he would give up dueling itself if he allowed more grief to those red-eyes.

Yang's grip softened and a bit of her frown dissolved. Then from her side appeared Pyrrha and placed a calming hand on the blonde's shoulder. "We know, Arc. We have all agreed to keep everything a secret and help you in any way we can."

 _They are lying! Don't let your guard down!_

Ruby took her big sister's other side. "Please, Arc, tell us what happened."

Having her little sister at her side, eased Yang enough to let him go, and caused him to fall back down into the chair. "... I..."

 _Curses!_

He had to keep eye contact! At least, he could get a few extra seconds by directing his eyes to another person.

 _Think! THINK!_

He looked over to Pyrrha's emerald green eyes — trusting and patient — who only asked him to take his time.

 _How does she know!? Is my distress so apparent?_

No words, no plots, nothing. His mind was empty.

 _Flee-flee-flee-flee!_

Arc turned his head to the other side. This was the last chance he had before the judgement of time broke his facade.

 _FLEE-FLEE-FL—_

Silver eyes. Those damned innocent silver eyes. How could anyone have such warm and caring eyes for a monster like himself!?

Ruby simply smiled more when she noticed him keeping eye contact. "It's okay, I promise."

He was planning to have the grey-haired bastard kneeling in the dirt before he told him how the possession took place. But now the petite scythe-wielder was pushing the very boundaries of what he could endure.

"... Very well…" Arc looked down and sighed; a sigh of an enraged man who had given up.

' _O' Verena, goddess of truth and wife of Morr... hear the thoughts of your husband's abandoned monstrosity! Bear witness! And let your Saints know that this living anathema spoke the truth, even as it damned him!_

Wrath strangled the whispers of self-preservation, and the blue-eyed abomination looked up to faced the worried group. "I'll be blunt; this will sound like the rambles of a madman." Arc raised his arm and snapped his fingers towards Glynda — provoking her to hold him in place with purple circles — not that it bothered him, on the contrary...

"Heh, senorita Goodwitch…" He could still move his head, so he turned it over to the senior beauty. "If I could have done something, then I would have done so when I was in a much _much_ worse position."

The witch in anything but name raised a confused eyebrow and kept the riding crop pointed at him. "What are you planning, Mr. Arc?"

"Planning? Madam, even if you wish my hand were reaching for your heart." She growled back. "It is, in fact, reaching for you to provide me with a pen and paper for the visuals of the story I'm about to tell." Had the terrifying tall busty woman been the headmistress, then he would have gotten crushed for sure.

"Ms. Goodwitch."

But Arc knew that Ozpin would rather eat rusty nails than give up a chance for visual information about his world.

"Yes, sir." Glynda ended the hex and lowered her riding crop, but not low enough so it couldn't be raised in an instant.

 _Clever little deputy…_

"I've readied what you need behind you, Mr. Arc."

Arc spun the chair around and once again faced the headmaster with the tiny black glasses. A sharpened pencil and a writer's notebook laid ready on the desk. "Impressive. My thanks." He grabbed the objects and kicked the swivel-chair over to the wall of spinning gears in the left side of the room. "So!" He looked around and enjoyed the spot that gave him a total vision of everyone."You all know about the possession, right?" Not the most heartwarming way to tell the truth, but a necessary one. He knew that the revelation would cause faintings and screaming. But no matter how dire the news it was still the t—

" _Possession? Seriously?_ " Weiss facepalmed. "Oh gods, you really are crazy."

… _Wait what?_

* * *

The others could not have noticed it.

" _You think I'm merely crazy!?_ "

But Arc's heart had been pounding louder than a Dust train ever since her partner grabbed him.

"Yes! You have to be death to be possessed by a Geist Grimm!"

Then again, she did not blame them; they did not have two sound-sensitive cat ears hidden away.

" _Dammit, woman! Of course, possession exist! How would you explain me being here!?"_

Still, Blake knew that even though Weiss and Arc were bickering like an old married couple — it was calming him in some strange way.

"Definitely _NOT_ by possession! You're just a deranged split-personality!"

… She might have thought that too early.

The Schnee heiress had just proven that higher class did not immediately correspond to greater tact or consideration of one's words. Arc had gone completely pale, and from what the headmaster had told them she might actually have indirectly killed him. Which for how quiet it had become — and how Weiss's hands flew up to cover her mouth — she must have realized it as well.

"W-What?" Stuttered a now bleaching accent-less Arc.

One could have heard a pin-drop over how total silent it had become.

"WEISS!" Yang broke the silence and glared at the Heiress, though she possessed enough self-control to not lash out at Weiss despite being rather _upset_ with her.

Meanwhile, Pyrrha rushed to the boy with Ren and Nora and placed her hand on his forehead. "Are you alright, Arc!?"

The boy regained his color and backhanded Pyrrha's hand away. "Why are you treating me like I'm made out of glass!?"

Yang's head swiveled about as her eyes changed color with a blink, and Weiss seemed about as surprised by how he seemed to be suffering no ill effects. "Huh?"

"Y-You're okay?" Whispered a relieved Weiss.

 _Would you look at that… only his real name seems to trigger the effect._

Everyone released their held-back sigh in unison, except her, Ren, Ms. Goodwitch, and the headmaster.

 _Oh, grow up..._

Arc raised a confused eyebrow before he suddenly went wide-eyed and spun over to Ozpin. " _You told them what happened when you spoke my name-brother's name!?_ "

"I did."

" _Are you out of your bloody mind, you troglodyte!?"_

"They needed to know the seriousness of the situation."

She had to admit she wasn't really fond of drama. But this was too good to give up.

Arc opened his mouth to respond, then froze, facepalmed, and sighed deeply. "Sorry for hitting you, Pyr..."

The Mistral Champion still looked visible hurt after the hit. "It's okay, Arc. You're going through a lot..."

Blake rolled her eyes. _Abused girlfriend much, Pyrrha?_

"No excuse. Add an extra slap to the list." Arc arose from the chair and stepped forward — missing Pyrrha shining like a small star behind him. " _So you all think I'm merely a split personality? A fragment of a shattered mind?_ "

"You switched between two different accents right now; obviously you're suffering from split-personality." She would have added bipolar to the mix, but that would bring more trouble than it was worth.

"Blake!" Shrieked Ruby.

" _Accents'? Really?"_ Arc turned to Nora. "How does it sound?"

"Well, the one you usually speak with is heavy! Exotic! And just like the protagonist of a twenty-lien romance! While the one you got right now is completely average at best, isn't that right, Ren?"

"No comment."

" _Tsk…_ " Arc lowered his head and pulled up a clenched fist to cover his mouth. _"So the possession even affects my voice? How annoying…"_ It came out as an unhearable musing to the human ear, but to a Faunus, it was practically spoken out loud.

Arc raised his head once more. " _Why did you not react when I changed my accent?"_

"Why did _YOU_ not react if you think you came from a different world!?"

Arc smirked. " _When you've seen grounded ships with steam-powered wheels then nothing strange really shocks you anymore_ , B _lanquita. Compared to that, this place is a bit lacking in… extreme... solutions to problems._ " To make matters worse — _better_ — he even winked at the Schnee, making her squirm.

"Y-You—"

"Really?"

"Awesome!"

Interrupted Yang and Nora each.

" _Yes, the Marienburgers are a strange people._ "

"Uh… Arc?"

" _Hm? What is it, Pyrrha?_ "

"You started to regain your accent-less voice after I unlocked your Aura."

" _... I see… Thank you for informing me._ "

"You did not answer her question." He glared at her, but Blake did not care. "No one would react calmly waking up in another world so how did you do it?"

" _Does it really matter?"_ The blond boy gritted teeth like a cornered animal. " _You already believe me to be speaking fables, and will send me to a madhouse once your frivolous amusements have been satiated!_ "

"That is not the case. Mr. Arc." Clarified Ozpin.

"Huh?"

"You utter dolt! You would indubitably get yourself killed when some amateur psychiatrist says your real name, of course, you need to be here!"

"Huh!?"

"Yeah, Arc! The headmaster told us that we if we all agreed to keep your illness a secret then you could continue to go at Beacon with us." Cheered Ruby.

"HUH!?"

"Naturally, I would have to send you to an institution if you do not convince your fellow students to keep the secret. So I would suggest telling them the truth as they will more likely accep—"

" _I'll tell you anything and everything I know."_

Ozpin face lit up with a rare victorious grin. "Excellent. Then I do think you promised little miss Rose that you would explain how you think you got here, and please make it quick as we will soon be in the auditorium to make teams."

" _Well, to make it short: I died."_

"What!?"

"You… d-did?"

Blake cringed at the sheer pain in her partner's voice.

" _Verdaderamente, I thought I had merely gone insane and ended up in another country, and then regained my sanity… I should have realized something was up when one of my last memories was my lower half turning to ash, hehe…"_

… That... was not what she expected to hear.

Something must have snapped in the scarred-heiress because she stomped forward and pulled Arc down to her face. "Then why didn't you!?"

" _How could I call myself a man if something as trivial as 'insanity' and 'displacement in a foreign country' phased me? Besides, I was too focused on acquiring an Armada of your airships to car—_ "

Nora appeared and pushed the furious girl and the grinning blond apart. "Woah, mister! Spoilers! _You_ still haven't told the story!"

" _Oh! My deepest apologies, Señorita Nora. I will get on with the storytelling right away."_ Arc pulled up the notepad and started scribbling away. " _The world I come from is unnamed to the public, but those few informed known it as Mallus. Not the most positive name, I know, but legends have it that it was given by an ancient insane scholar who named it thus, after a most horrifying vision._ " He turned the notebook around; showing a quickly drawn sketch of a globe with two massive landmasses, and a circular island between them.

The land mass to the right had _The Old World_ written over it in fine cursive, while the one to the left was named in the same way as _The New World of Lustria_ ; only the island in the middle was different as it was harshly named… _Here be pointy-eared bastards._

Blake facepalmed.

"So wait, you don't think the world is flat?" Asked Nora, sounding like her preconceptions of vaguely Dustless era people was deflating by the second.

" _I am not a Sylvanian. Even the peasants of Bretonnia know that the World is not flat. At least the ones who are mariners anyway. If the world was flat, we ought to be able to see both Lustria AND Lothern from the Tower of Bibalbi or any lighthouse for the matter, so it must be a globe like the planets above us._ " Answered Arc with a pinch of barb.

"Aww~... but I wanted to see your reaction..."

The golden-haired swordsman merely stared at Nora in silence for a long moment and then shook his head. _"Anyway. My last day took place here in The Old World where I, like the rest of humanity. Glynda!"_ He threw the paper over to the stern deputy who snatched it mid-air with her Semblance. She did not look happy, but she said nothing as she guided the paper over to Ozpin.

" _I'll provide you with a more detailed map in the future, don Ozpin. Now then, perhaps you've forgotten, but I've mentioned my dearest Estalia quite a lot during all these wonderful moments we have been acquainted. Sadly…_ " Arc once more showed his finished sketch, where an almost square shaped peninsula, took the center. " _I only call it such to let everyone know I seek to unify this divided mess of kingdoms, republics, dukedoms, and every type of governance imaginable to man."_

He wasn't lying; judging from the sheer amount of countries and irregular borders, it must have been a nightmare to travel through. Only two blobs stood out, one at the top corner with a small cutely-drawn tower, and the other one at the middle-bottom with a mini eagle at the line between sea and land.

Arc tapped the eagle with a puffed out chest. " _Ancient, honorable Magritta; first of the cities in Estalia and capital to my kingdom of Astarios! Here! In my birthplace, did I spend the day celebrating my exaltation into nobility. But THEN!"_ He ripped away the paper with the expression of a murderer out for blood — like a guy she knew — and threw it to Ms. Goodwitch. " _We were attacked by FILTHY vermin!"_

"Vermin?"

"Pests, Nora."

" _Nonono! Not mere 'pests,' my rival, something far worse..."_ Arc said the last word through gritted teeth as his pen went to work. " _I was carousing at the local tavern when an explosion sent me flying into a wall. When I finally pulled myself together, I found half the tavern blown to smithereens and the screams of the innocent bleeding my ears. I had barely shouted out orders to my sailor companions before..._ "

Blake eased her breathing, not so much because she was afraid like the shaking scythe-wielder, but because Arc looked like he was about to snap and she knew she would have to step in if he did.

Arc glared a hole into the paper before he twisted around the paper and revealed the drawing. " _We were attacked by THIS! Skaven! Abysmal spawns of rat and whore! Chittering abominable masses of Ratmen!"_

A drawing of something straight out of the Faunus War human-propaganda met them. It was a horrifying sketch of five large bipedal rats who were swarming through an opening in a wall with a horde of eyes behind them. The five drawn monsters were malnourished, hunched over, and around two-thirds of average man's height. Plus — to make matters worse — three of them wore dirty loincloths and the rest... did not.

 _I did not need to have that drawn, Arc._

" _A shriek of a caught sewer-rat sounded out, and the masses of dregs charged us from every nook and cranny! We were surrounded on all sides!"_ The insane blond threw the paper — not to Glynda — but up in the air, and skewered it with the pen by an outstretched arm. " _Nevertheless, that mattered little… hehehe..._ "

Arc's left eye peered from the side of the paper where the 'Skavens' were pierced by the pen. " _Because the little ratmen had the unfortunate fate of crossing my path."_ Arc pulled the paper off the pen with an _almost_ sensual smile and tossed it over to Glynda. " _When I had cleaned up the mess with the aid of those few, worthy of the pair between their legs, did I realize that this what not merely a minor attack, but an invasion, as strange contraptions drilled up from the ground — flew a couple of meters up in the air — and exploded in a sickly green, unquenchable fire. I knew then what I had to do, and set out alone to fulfill my part in our glorious counter-attack."_

"And that w-was?" Stuttered Ruby.

" _Severing the head of the command."_

"You didn't stay and help!?"

"He did say that he specialized in high priority targets, Yang."

" _Exquisite recollection, my brother-of-the-dancing-arts!"_

"Brother-of-the-what-now?" Questioned Nora.

"Did you really kill... _all_ those skavens?" Pyrrha had somehow gotten a hold of the drawing and was looking mildly disturbed.

" _Absolutely not. There was far too much sword-fodder for a single Diestro to content with._ " Arc answered Pyrrha in the most ordinary, nonchalant way possible. " _Only one-fifth fell permanently to my blade, and the rest…"_ The normal face disappeared under the visage of an utter maniac. " _Agony is quite the incapacitator. An eye here, a nose there, and the terrible beasts were left screaming in the spilled gore of my countrymen before the live ones finished them off."_ The psychopath shrugged. " _Did they take their time? Who knows? All I know is that after I had cleared a path through the horde, did my companions emerge out in the street and tell me that the tavern had been secured. Then I assessed the situation and ordered them to return home, and protect their loved ones."_

"Where did these 'Skaven' come from?" Asked the mustached professor.

" _Underground. Their drilling contraptions provided quick tunneling through our defenses AND disruptive destruction afterward."_

"I see. Continue your story."

" _Right. Afterwards, Myrmidia saw to it that a knowledgeable little Ratmen stumbled upon my path. Whereupon the little flea-bag clarified that the attack was nothing more than a ruse so a 'Warlord engineer-something' could steal our holiest of relics: Myrmidia's book of wisdom, her magnum opus. Consequently, as a faithful Myrmidian, I couldn't allow such blatant heresy to even be thought of. So I exterminated him-_ "

Gasps sounded out in the room.

"- _and made my way toward the archecclessitum._ " Arc then resumed drawing like he had not just admitted to carrying out an _actual_ war crime execution. Blake cringed, that was something not even the vilest of her former brothers and sisters would have admitted. " _Our Main Temple, a building of such sublime beauty that not even I c— hm? What's wrong?_ "

"You're a criminal. _A crook_." Weiss used to speak in a cold, caring voice. _Used_. Now it was anything but caring.

"... _Huh?_ "

"You committed a war crime, you imbecile!"

" _Hogwash!_ " Arc slammed a fist down in the swivel chair arm — causing Glynda to raise her riding crop threateningly. " _The Strictures are clear: Show no mercy to the enemies of Humanity!"_

Okay, this was enough.

"You still executed a prisoner of war, when you could have just as easily have captured him instead."

The crazed psycho turned to her with a look of pure disgust. " _What part of 'enemies of humanity' do you not get, wench? All Skaven riffraff are only fit for death._ "

"You're insane."

" _You did not think so when I slaughtered the Grimm."_

"That's different; they are soulless." Arc stared at her like she was stupid and resumed his drawing with a rare emotionless look. "... You're not going to respond?"

" _Why bother? I'm insane, after all, and the insane should not be listened to._ " The cocky asshole smiled, not even bothering looking up at her.

"But they should be listened to for stories, which you have yet to tell the ending of, Mr. Arc." Argued Ozpin.

That got Arc's attention. " _Quite the curiosity you have, don Ozpin... If I didn't know better, then I would be considering y—"_

"He's not the only one!"

" _Ruby?_ "

"We're all trying to understand you, Arc. But if you keep acting like you know better than everyone, then we will stop trying."

Blake blinked. She did not know the young girl had such maturity — and from the looks of it — neither did Arc.

" _I-I…"_ A ton of emotions played on the pale boy's face before he slumbered over. " _You're right._ "

"Hmpf. As expected of my partner!"

Yang had been somber ever since they learned the truth about Arc, but even she had a small smile at her little sister's antics. "That's my sis."

The others also gave nods of approvals, and Blake joined in by leaning over to the scythe-wielder. "Good job."

Ruby bloomed like a red rose. "Weiss~ Everyone~"

Arc grumbled and looked away — causing Pyrrha to giggle and place a hand on his shoulder. "If it helps; then I don't think you're insane, Arc."

The boy _oozed_ amazement. " _You don't?_ "

"Well…" Now it was Pyrrha's turn to look away and scratch her cheek. "Not insane _per se_ but most definitely confused…" The red-haired spartan gave her best smile — an awkward as hell smile — but most likely still the best she could have given the insane blond.

Arc deadpanned before a smirk emerged and he pushed Pyrrha away with a flirtatious push. Causing Pyrrha to blush slightly

Blake shook her head. _Yeah, definitely abused girlfriend material._

Now with the famed and the youngest blushing like two emergency signals. The atmosphere had turned a lot more lighthearted.

" _Anyhow!_ _Back to the story_."

Well, _had_.

Arc began his scribbling anew. " _After I made it to the grand plaza of Myrmida, where the Main Temple of Myrmidia is located-_ "

 _Myrmdia, Myrmidia, Myrmdia. Does he ever think of anything else?_

"- _I stumbled upon the armed forces of the Holy Inqi—"_ The Myrmidian fanatic's heartbeat suddenly flew up, and he shook his head. " _I mean, the armed forces of our Holy Orders, where I reported to the highest authority present._ _Barely had the words about the despicable plot left my lips before the horde of Skaven was upon us and the ecclesiarch turned to the grey wizard present a—_ "

"Hang on!" Exclaimed Weiss. " _Grey Wizard?_ Are you serious?"

" _Yes? It was quite hard to miss, as he was wearing grey robes, a grey pointed-hat and his eyes were grey. Can you guess what color his staff was?"_

"Grey?"

Arc smiled. " _No, it was a normal wooden one._ "

"That's not important! Magic doesn't exist!"

" _... What would you call your 'Semblances' then?_ "

"That's different! It might still be mysterious. but there are still rules that are followed by anyone, while magic is b—"

" _Bending of reality to once will, while miracles are bestowed upon those who ask the gods."_ Arc grinned. " _I did not take you to be learned about the higher things."_

"W-Well, my family have done and are doing intensive research into our shared Semblance, so, yes I do know that, but I've not heard anything about what you refer to as 'miracles'"

The blond would-be-artist stopped dead in the track. " _Your gods are silent!?_ "

"More like they don't exist." Weiss shrugged. "How else would you explain all the evil that is going on in the world? And if they did exist and allowed it to happen, then they wouldn't be good, right?"

" _I-I don't know… In my world, they test and perfect, and their presences are known. But here…"_ Arc looked appalled. "... _There is so much I don't know about this world_ …"

"So what did the 'ecclesiarch' tell the wizard, Arc?" Pyrrha saved the subject before a dead silence could take over.

" _Oh! Right!..."_ The confused blond got a bit of confidence back, but Blake knew better. He was hiding how terrified he really was. " _He told him to secure the book by sending it to a… to another dimension._ " Arc flinched. " _Had we known there existed worlds between the veil then…_ " Arc shook his head.

 _Then what? What is he rambling on about?_

" _The wizard then began conducting his ritual as ordered, while I was tasked with defending the wizard if any stragglers made it through our line of defense. Only one did, which I dealt with_."

Not only had Arc stopped drawing, but he had also even lost the over-the-top narrating voice and was responding more unemotional — almost like a zombie — _almost_ as it was possible for the sanguine maniac to lose his tone completely.

 _Weiss words hit him hard._

"Was the anything special about the ritual conducted?" Questioned Ozpin after a long period of remaining silent.

Arc nodded. " _I overheard the wizard saying that a 'vortex of Ulgu wind' — the source grey mages use for their magic — was directly above the arch-shaped entrance we stood under. I couldn't see the Ulgu wind, as I lack witchsight, so take it with a grain of salt."_

"Witchsight?"

" _The rare ability to see and use the winds of magic, or so I've been told. Again, my knowledge is quite vain on the matter as I'm not a mage and have only been taught how to recognize any wielder of it."_

"So only a select few are capable of magic?"

" _Si, some call them cursed while other call them blessed — it depends on who you ask, really._ "

" _Interesting_. I take it the ritual is connected with how you ended up here?"

Arc sighed. " _Indeed… When the main villain appeared and found his plan in ruins, he declared that. 'If he couldn't have the book, then no one would' and unleashed a cataclysmic torrent of Warp-lightning towards the book of wisdom floating in a pillar of grey magic. That, of course, didn't happen, as I jumped in and took the blow for mysel—"_

"Why didn't you let someone with Aura take the hit!?"

The 'Diestro' instantly froze and gawked at Weiss, before a smile broke loose. " _Heh… hehe… kehehe-HAHAHA!_ " The smile exploded into despairing laughter on the brink of madness. " _Oh! Oh, my heart!... I can't breathe, haha!… Pew… 'let someone with Aura take it,' pff haha!"_ Arc was batshit insane, but Blake could at least give him that he knew how to infuriate the Schnee more than she thought possible.

" _Because princess._ " Arc finally regained his senses and wiped away a tear. _"Where I come from we do not have Aura. And even then I would have jumped no matter what. One does not 'wait' for someone else to martyr themselves when THE holiest artifact of your goddess is at risk of being incinerated._ "

Blake took his attention with an _ahem_. "Let me guess… the attack carried you into the ritual?"

Arc nodded.

"And when you woke up you were on the floor on the airship." Continued Ruby.

Arc nodded again. " _And now that I've told you all everything I know, and while we are the subject of Aura…. What in Myrmidia's skirt was my name-brother doing Aura-less in this place!? That initiation you 'huntsmen' are doing would have killed him painlessly at best!_ "

"Your so-called 'name-brother' faked his credentials and entered my academy without nothing more than sword and armor." Ozpin narrowed his eyes. "You should be thankful that Pyrrha saved you from what would have been certain death."

Arc went pale, and flew up from the chair and strode towards the headmaster. Ozpin held up a hand towards Glynda — telling her to let him come, and thus the blond reached his desk. "... _So he's nothing more than a fraud?_ " Emotions twirled and twisted in his blue eyes before he abruptly bent over and grabbed his stomach. "HAHAHAHA! The irony!" Blake blinked. It had been quite a while since Arc had spoken with his Jaune voice and now it had suddenly come out. "A thief who stole the deserving spot of someone; finds his own self stolen away! Haha, if that isn't poetic justice, then I don't know what is!" There was no joy in that laughter, only hatred.

"Hey!" Arc, no, _Jaune's_ crazy eyes fell upon them. "How does it feel knowing that the person in front of you was _this_ close to stealing your spot, after all the years you spent training!?"

"Quite aggravating. Then again your Semblance stepped in and proved that you're a decent enough c—"

"Combatant! I know! That's the only thing that really matters in the end, isn't it!?" Jaune clenched his hands. "He should be out on the streets with the rest of the plebeian masses of society!"

"Arc, I think you are being too hard on—"

"What do you mean hard!? I'm relieved, Ren! RELIEVED!" She could hear that Jaune Arc was anything _but_ relieved with how fast his heart was pumping. "Finally, I can carry on peacefully knowing I took this life from _unfit_ scum! That said! I have work to do!" He strode toward the door. "And neither the gods nor time wait for anyone! Come! Professor Port!"

"W-Wait! Can you at least remember what your sword is called?" Asked Ruby.

Jaune froze in the steps. " _... That eludes me, Ruby._ " The thick accent mysteriously returned.

"It's called Crocea Mors." Answered Ozpin.

Arc twisted his neck around instantly with his eyes wide as plates. Seconds passed without him saying anything.

"Does it ring a bell, _hm_?" Continued the headmaster.

" _... I see._ " What must have been Arc; pulled a thoughtful hand up to his jaw. " _Nothing more than a feeling of want, Headmaster. We'll discuss what we will do with it once you've created the teams._ " Arc continued his stride toward the door.

"Mr. Arc, may I inform that if tell anyone then there will be dire consequences especially towards your fami—"

"I WILL NOT ALLOW _MY_ FAMILY'S HEART TO BE RIPPED APART!" Roared Jaune — silencing Glynda. "... _I-I'm sorry, pretend you didn't hear that."_ He rushed into the door and slammed it after him.

Silence took over.

"... Wait! Mr. Arc!" Professor Port must have realized he was supposed to guide him because he ran after the insane boy.

"Jaune…" Whispered a horrified Pyrrha.

Blake sighed. She wished she could tell them about his heartbeat. But giving up her ancestry over a mentally broken boy just wasn't worth it.

* * *

Velvet grumbled into her camera. She had thought that once she was an adult, grounding would end. However, she had miscalculated one thing.

Coco Adel; her partner and leader of Team CFVY.

" _I don't care about your limp-dicked stalker, Coco! You're grounded because gods help me, if I have to clean up another dead body today, then I'll turn your minigun into scrap metal!_ " Mocked the pale-skinned fashionista. " _Pffff_ , who do professor Peach think she is!?"

"Our professor."

Coco pulled down her pilot sunglasses and glared at her. " _Haha_ , very funny, bun-bun."

Velvet didn't exactly approve of people nicknaming her after her Fanus trait, but with Coco, it wasn't really an option whether she liked it or not. Besides, the vixen gave nicknames to everyone she cared about, so in some ways, it was actually good. "Well, it's most likely that the casualty under the initiation has put Peach on the edge."

Enough to force her to share the punishment with Coco at least. Speaking of which, why was she the only one grounded with her!? True, she was the only one on the team in sharing tailor class with her, and true, she _had_ been frozen when the beret-wearer send Anthony flying — _poor guy_ — but that was only because she was stunned over the sheer _suicidal_ someone must have been to redraw Cocos newest masterpiece as a frilly dress.

"And what about me! I suffered a causality, as well! Do you know how many weeks I've spent on it!?"

Velvet noticed a single loose hair in the fashionista's otherwise perfect lock of hair, and she knew what she had to do.

"Hours of sweat and blood; whole weekends I could have gone out; all-nighter after all-nighter going through fashion page after fashion page; and then out of nowhere comes some sick _FETISHIST_ and turns it into a fucking BDSM roleplay piec—!?"

Click went the camera, freezing Coco in the present and in the eternal. Honestly, she should have seen it coming.

"... _Seriously_ , _Vel?_ " Sneered the newly immortalized brunette.

"Yep." This was definitely going into her Coco folder. "First time, I've seen a stray hair on your caramel-colored lock of hair."

The fashionista gasped and instantly brought out a mirror, and her dust powered thermal brush and went to work. "I'll kill you if that pic is leaked, Vel."

Velvet blew raspberries and packed her fondest item away. "Yeah, yeah. Like you _almost_ did to Anthony?" The word to notice was _almost_ , as Coco hadn't done anything _too extreme_...

* * *

Arc was speechless. "Come again, Professor?"

"It happened during initiation when some bloke laughed at a girl he _really_ shouldn't have been laughing at."

"I see, but to do THIS!?" Arc waved his hands in front of the opening that allowed him to see into the tailor workshop. Not because the door was open — but because a human-shaped hole was now terrifyingly present in the wall. "Isn't this too much!?"

"Apparently not enough! You should have seen what she did to my collection of Grimm! _Oh, the horror!_ Those poor little beasts never stood a chance!"

"Even the Alpha Beowolf!?"

" _Especially_ the Alpha Beowolf! She beat it to death with its own arm!"

The Diestro cringed. " _Madre de Myrmidia,_ that's insane!"

"Truly."

Arc pointed to the opposite wall where a human imprint was noticeable. "And what about the poor fool?"

"He's taking the day off, but he's _relatively_ okay, as his Aura took the majority of the blow."

Arc whistled. He could see it before his eyes. The eccentric artist named Coco would have danced around the room with starry-eyes — showing all her classmates her sketch saved, _of course_ , by his hand. Then a brute of a woman would fume in jealousy, and, alas, a poor fool would make the mistake of laughing; earning the full ire of the ogre of a woman.

A shiver passed through him. "I'll hate to stumble upon her while her anger still burns! Let us make haste, my friend! "

"Ay! The storeroom for the theatrical property is right down the hallway." Professor Port took the lead. "Then again are you certain that you do not have anything else to wear? I hate to have you ridiculed over wearing the old clothes of the drama club."

"Trust me, even the garments of a pauper would do wonders over what I had before. Besides, it's only a temporary solution until I acquire a bit of coin."

"I could lend you some to get you off your feet?"

"My thanks, but I can't accept it."

"A gift then! Would five-hundred Lien do?"

"Again, I know next to nothing about your curr—"

"Six-hundred then!"

Arc sighed. "Very well then."

The aged professor smiled beneath his mustache, before replacing it with a frown when he noticed the door in front of them. "We've made it."

He exhaled deeply. "Si, we have." They had previously walked in silence until they stumbled upon the hole in the wall, which brought discussion, wonder — and best of all: a fleeting moment of distraction.

"... Will you allow me to gather my thoughts alone, Professor?"

"Of course, friend. Take your time."

Arc opened the door — just as a strong hand grabbed his shoulder.

"If there is anything on your mind, then please do not feel afraid to share them."

Arc felt the warmth of the older man's generosity and clapped the hand. "Thank you, my friend. However," he stepped forward. " _I must deal with this problem alone._ " And closed the door behind him.

Rows upon rows of strange clothing and items met him. An odd stench of a stout aroma filled his nostrils, and he had to hold himself back from gagging. He steadied himself and progressed through the maze of costumes and accessories.

Suddenly a ghost appeared among the side-rows.

Arc flew back with his hand raised like a rapier — which the ghost copied — and then it hit him. This was not an anathema of foul necromancy, but his own pale visage in a wardrobe-mirror.

The petrified reflection revealed the sickening truth. His blue eyes were dull, yet restless, while his face was nothing more than the ghastly visage of a corpse, and even his poncho could not hide the weak posture from showing.

Worst of all: there was no sound but him and the mirror.

Then the whispers returned.

* * *

"We cannot have Jaune here, Headmaster. He's simply too unstable and will soon crack if he's not given professional help."

Insanity.

"W-Well, Weiss, that is correct, but I think once the shock wears out of… _everything;_ then he will calm down."

She had given someone _fucking_ insanity.

"Pyrrha, I know you're his partner and all, but even you must admit that he's far too into la-la land to be of use. In fact, he might even become a threat if he starts seeing illusions, or a spoon tells him to kill someone."

Yang's nails dug into her palms.

"I must agree, not that I assume Arc would kill someone, but there is a risk he could suddenly trigger an old memory and break down during combat; which would put both him and whatever team he's assigned too, at risk."

But she didn't care.

"I'm sure I would be able to handle it, _Ren_. I'm not a four-year Mistral champion for nothing..."

She hated liars.

"Yeah! Besides I'm sure, Pyr and Arc here are gonna end up a team who can handle and appreciate them!"

And now she had become one.

"... How do you know that, Nora?"

"Oh~ Just a hunch, hehe~ Besides—"

" _S-Sis?_ " Whispered Ruby and took her hand. " _Are you okay?_ "

Yang gave her little sister a reassuring look back. " _Yeah, just worried about Arc._ " Bullshit. She was feeling like shit, but she would be damned if she let Ruby find out.

The cookie-lover didn't look convinced, but her words had helped for what Yang could see. Suddenly, a presence closed in behind her. " _Arc won't be sent to a madhouse."_ She and Ruby looked over their shoulders and found Blake. " _Look at Ozpin._ " Yang turned her neck and focused on the headmaster. " _He's following the conversation closely_ — _waiting for an argument he can cling to._ "

Her amber-eyed partner was right. Ozpin was fixated on the debate Weiss and Ren had against Pyrrha and Nora — with Nora being incomprehensibly in favor of Pyrrha.

All of a sudden, an interruption took place, and the red-haired spartan spun to the headmaster with grit in her eyes. "One week, Ozpin. Give me _one week_ to show my partner is not a lost cause."

"Pyrrha!? You can't be s—"

"Then it's settled. We will give Arc one week to prove himself stable."

"WHAT!?"

"Ms. Nikos, I'm giving you full responsibility for Arc's actions."

"Yes, headmaster Ozpin!" Responded Pyrrha with a salute.

Glynda Goodwitch seemed to approve of it with a rare minuscule smile. Until it evaporated when a realization of some sort occurred to her, causing her to bring up her wristwatch. "Sir, it's time."

" _Already?_ " Ozpin raised an eyebrow before nodding. "Very well, I must ask you all to head to the auditorium, as I have pushed the team formation ceremony to the furthest I can excuse it… _Any later; and I dare not think what Ms. Peach would do._ " He shivered, before narrowing his eyes onto the white-haired opposition. "I take it there will no problem with my decision?"

"W-Well, if it's Pyrrha Nikos of all people keeping a watch on him then what's the worst that could happen... But how do you expect Pyrrha to take responsibility from the actions of an insane individual?"

That was actually a very good question. And Yang wasn't the only who thought that, as both Pyrrha and Glynda turned hesitant.

"H-Headmaster?"

"Sir?"

A glint glowed in Ozpin's brown eyes. "Let's just say Mr. Arc told me an interesting aspect about his _faith_ which will prove _most_ beneficial..."

"I see." Weiss did not look convinced.

On the other end; Pyrrha was the exact polar opposite. "Then I'll go and find Jaune, and bring him to the auditor—!?" Nora rushed up and grabbed her arm.

"Oh no, you don't!" The hyperactive ginger giggled and dragged her towards the door. "We still haven't gotten to know each other, gurl! Besides, guys don't like—"

Silence fell over the room as the door closed. Mostly because Nora had _not_ dragged Pyrrha into the elevator, but rather, down the emergency stairs…

 _Wait, what was that about guys?_

Ren sighed, turned to them, and threw a clenched fist into his open palm, and bowed. "Forgive my childhood friend." He then spun toward the door Nora had dragged Pyrrha into and hurried after.

Weiss facepalmed and strode towards the elevator. "Let's go, Ruby. We need to get to the auditorium before the few acceptable spots are taken."

"R-Right!" Ruby turned to her. " _You sure you're okay, big sis?_ "

"Yeah." Yang wondered how much worse her life would have been without her little cinnamon roll, and gave her a head ruffle. "Let's go get our teams." Her little sister beamed like she had brought out a fresh tray of cookies and nodded.

"Ruby!"

"Ah! Coming Weiss!"

 _You really got a friend who cares for you._ She chuckled as Ruby rushed into the elevator, and followed after her. _Soon, you'll be all grown u—_

"Ms. Xiao Long."

Blake went past her as she turned around and met the judging stares of Ozpin and Glynda. "This could have gone horribly for both you and Mr. Arc."

The elevator closed behind her.

"Don't forget that. And save your anger for the Grimm." Ozpin didn't even bother saying goodbye, but only nodded towards the emergency stairs, and Yang understood the meaning: get out of my sight.

She stormed into the emergency exit and slammed the door behind her for good measure. Now she was all alone in the stairway since even her partner had taken the eleva—

"Let me guess." Yang flew around with her fist ready — only to find Blake up against the wall with her arms crossed. "Ozpin couldn't hold himself back from rubbing some salt into the guilt?"

She sighed and eased down. "That's basically it. How did you know?"

The bow-wearing girl pushed herself up from the wall and started going down the stairs. "I figured as much. Besides your eyes are red."

Yang brought out her Scroll and saw her trademark red-eyes; burn in the reflection of the small screen. She pocketed it and followed Blake. "Why did you not take the elevator?"

Her quiet partner shrugged. "I didn't feel like sharing the elevator with the heiress."

She had expected a more caring reply, but it was better than nothing. They continued downwards in silence until the brawler couldn't keep her guilt back. "... Blake?"

"Hm?"

"... I'm responsible for everything."

"Kinda."

Yang frowned. _Really Blake?_ _That's the best you can s_ —

"But you might actually have _saved_ Arc."

Her jaw dropped. "Explain."

"If you hadn't punched him then he wouldn't have made such a strong impression on Pyrrha. Then he would have kept his Auralessness all the way to the initiation, were, _if he were lucky_ , he would land on the head first and die painlessly, and if he were unlucky… Well, one initiator died _with_ Aura so it wouldn't have been pretty."

"I nearly killed someone!"

"That's correct — _nearly_ — you haven't killed anyone yet. Honestly, you did him a favor."

"How!? He's become insane!"

"Nope, _he's becoming_ , big difference. He hasn't lost it yet, and seems to be recovering his memories by the hour." The black-haired girl paused. "Listen, when you have actually taken an innocent life then you'll know, trust me… the feeling gnaws at you till there's nothing left…"

"B-Blake?"

"... Or at least that's how I've _read_ it is. I have a thing for books, remember?" Blake continued, and Yang was unsure why, but it looked like Blake was hurrying down for some reason.

The blonde sighed — hoping Jaune was handling it better than her.

* * *

 _Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!_

The gods were taunting him.

 _T-This must be a dream! A gruesome nightmare from the abyss itself!_

Morr hated necromancy with an undying hatred.

 _Wake up! Come on! WAKE UP!_

But.

 _CURSES! Thoughts of heresy pollute my mind!?_

Would Morr commit necromancy to end necromancy?

 _Gloria Myrmidia, et Morr, et Verena, et Shallya: Forgive this useless Diestro. Gloria Myrmidia, et Morr, et Verena, et Shallya: Forgive this useless Diestro…_

No, never.

 _Gloria Myrmidia, et Morr, et Verena, et Shal— DAMN IT!_

Unless.

 _COME ON, WEAKLING! PUT UP A FIGHT AND EXORCISE ME ALREADY!_

He really was imagining everything up…

 _Nononononono, this… This can't be happening! I refuse to accept this! A trick! An illusion! A ruse! I. AM. NOT. INSANE!_

Arc slammed a fist down in the ground were a small pond of saliva and nosebleed reflected his growling self. The wet feeling between his fingers brought a dull relieving silence from the noise. Now… If only he had some way to prove everything was merely a dream.

An idea emerged.

 _That's it!_

The lanky boy rushed onto his knees and flared up his Aura over his knuckles.

 _DAMN IT!_

Yet that faint hope was crushed when he did not find a single colored Aura as he had hoped and prayed for, but the white and golden Auras clashing more violently than ever.

 _DANN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!_

He grabbed his head and pressed against the throbbing pain to keep from overwhelming him.

 _Don't lose it… Don't lose it, please…_

Then… he saw him.

The reason for his torment.

" _You._ " Whispered Arc to the grinning mimic in front of him. " _This is all your fault! I will l-l-l-l-lose it soon! Yes! No! YES!... But! BUT—"_ He stomped his right foot down and flew up the air with his fist raised. "I'LL TAKE YOU DOWN WITH ME!"

The fist collided against the copycat's own fist — shattering him into a thousand pieces.

 _Oh?_

A curious image emerged.

 _My, my~ what is this I'm seeing_?

The grin had disappeared on the imposter, who now met him with a curious expression as blood trickled down their fists.

No, not an imposter.

Family.

 _Are you hurt, my dear twin?_

His blood. If only his twin sisters knew they weren't the only p— wait… What were they called again?... Oh, It didn't matter.

 _Don't worry; I'll stitch you up, br—_

A loud banging interrupted their discussion. "Are you alright, Mr. Arc?"

 _Mr. Arc? Whose that? Do you know him?_

His newfound twin shook his head; making whatever the voice said unimportant.

Not only had the sweet repeating clicking sound grown intoxicating louder by the second, and not only had his air decided it needed a vacation and was rapidly escaping him, but even his eyes had settled that the edges of his sight required a bit of darkn—!?

The vision cleared. The clinking ceased. And the Diestro stood shell-shocked.

"Mr. Arc! Answer me!"

An object revealed itself in one of the cracked mirror pieces.

"I'm alright, friend!" Tears streamed down his face as he turned his back on the shattered mirror. " _I'm alright._ "

It was an object he knew better than the sun itself. A relic of such singular value that it could rescue oneself from madness, like on that fateful day...

* * *

 _ **Middenheim, capital of Middenland, The Empire. 2517 I.C**_

Light emerged in the blackness, and Juan pulled up the soft fur-blanket to block the unmerciful sun. A burn screamed in his right arm, and he rushed up — frightened to the core that a servant had forgotten to close the bed warmer — and promptly felt a familiar blade upon his throat. Namely a decorated rapier he knew quite well.

The rapier was sheathed just as quickly as it had been drawn, and a yawn sounded out next to him. "Relax, _Toreador_." Sitting next to his bed was the one and only maestro Jerónimo. The aged man pulled up a leather-gloved hand and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

Eight years — three of them in this foreign land — had aged Jerónimo. His Dark beard had greyed, wrinkles had emerged, and yet the brown eyes of his Destro maestro still held the strength of a Kislevite Great bear.

Juan looked around and frowned to not find himself in an extravagant room, but a simple Shallyan hospital. "Really, Maestro?"

The older Estalian rolled his eyes and shot a hand forward.

"ARGH!" His right arm burned and he looked down to find his sword-arm in a sling. _Wha-What!? When did this happ—_

He remembered: The ambush in the Drakwald Forest.

One of the white-robed priestesses in the corridor spun around — revealing _quite_ the pale beauty with reddish-brown hair — who swiftly stepped up to his bed. " _Are you alright, sir Apprentice?_ "

Even after three years in the Empire, he could still not fully comprehend the _language of anger_ known as _Reikspiel_. But then again who could blame him? He had come here expecting time to learn and study, but then battle after battle had been thrown at him, leaving none at all to learn the damn language!

" _Oh, my little dove._ " At least, none to learn the boring stuff. He took her hand in his and placed it upon his hurting arm. " _Lay thy healing hand upon the arm which destroyed the Doombul—_ "

" _Gorebull._ " Clarified Jerónimo.

"— _Gorebulls._ "

" _Gorebull. Singular, not plural._ "

The Shallyan Priestess maintained her smile, though it was clearly strained now, as she pulled her hand back and departed the room. Outside the two Estalians could hear her calling for someone else, presumably less attractive and old.

"... I'll pay you back for that one later, Maestro."

"You're four-hundred years too early to challenge me, brat."

The two Estalians glared at each other before their grins broke out and they roared in laughter — causing many dull-faced patients to shake their heads.

"So much for dove fancying!"

"Ahh, shut it, you only did it to get an experienced priestess instead!" Teased the older Diestro.

"HEY!" Juan placed his hand upon his chest and gave his best-offended face to date. "I didn't do it _only_ for that! Either I would get treated by a cute freckled thing; or, as I will now, a priestess who actually knows how to heal for once!"

"You're still upset about the leeches?"

"OF COURSE I AM!"

Jerónimo laughed and glanced over him. "Sadly, I don't think you will get either, my apprentice." The aged Diestro gave a pitying smile, and Juan felt ice slip up his back.

" _So you must be the Estalian Schürzenjäger._ " A male voice spoke behind him.

 _Uh-oh._ Juan turned around and saw a boy on the cusp of manhood, wearing the same hooded white robe with a golden key hanging from the belt, and the same hair poking out from within his hood as the nameless beauty who preceded him. " _... Shurzenjaeger?"_

The look-a-like priest gave him a smile that did not quite reach to his eyes. " _It means 'friend.' If it is any consolation, your tongue sounds just as incomprehensible to me. Please sit up._ " Juan did as asked, and the Middenheimer gently undid his sling, took his wrist and elbow, and began to move his arm close to his lower ribs carefully.

It did hurt, but nothing he couldn't handle, but what was this foggy warning in the back of his head?

… _Yeah, something is off with this man. But he IS clearly of the Cult of Shallya. I mean, what's the worst he can do? Heal me and then guilt-trip me into donating to their orpha—_

" _That girl you spoke too… A true 'diamond amidst the coals,' as the miners would say, yes?"_ The priest asked, a bit _too_ innocently.

Not that Juan paid attention, as his thoughts were drawn back to the memory of the fair maiden. " _Si, mi amigo! In all of my travels, I have never encountered—_ "

The priest grabbed his arm, his benevolent expression as plastered on as a new coat of whitewash on a Magritta townhouse. " _That lady happens to be my sister, just so you know_." And with that, he forced Juan's shoulder back into place.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Juan roared and flew back into the cheap bed. He most certainly did not scream like a little girl, and only silenced his _manly roar_ by jamming the sheets into his mouth and biting down onto it, so as to not startle the priestesses and patients; not to conserve his dignity which was in no danger at all.

"And there went your chance with every Shallyan priestess in Middenheim."

Damn it.

"To the abyss with them! This hurts! _Arrrgh_ …" He could not see a thing, but he could hear raucous laughter from the wounded soldiers, with a few trace notes of feminine giggling, from outside the room

Jerónimo whistled. _"Intrigante~ was that a physiotherapy technique I saw? I've seen many a physician perform such procedures on laborers down south._ "

" _One of the donations from the nobility included a physician's handbook, written by a Hertwig Teichmann, before that unfortunate encounter of his with a Vampire._ "

Even as Juan grit his teeth in pain, he had enough of his wits about him not to lash out. After all, Myrmidian honor demanded he took it like a man. " _Ow…_ _Say, Shallyan_." He pulled himself up. " _Are you two twins perhaps?"_

The priest with the icy blue eyes brought out a fresh piece of cloth and reached for his injured arm. " _Yes, we are what's that to you, Estalian?"_

" _Oh, nothing._ " Juan brought the limb over to the priest's hands. " _It's just that I also have twin blood in my family! And it's nice to see I'm not alone in that regard, in the wider world._ " _  
_

" _I see..._ " The priest went to work on producing a new sling for his arm. " _... You're not angry?_ "

The trap had sprung.

" _No! Why would I be?!_ " Juan tried to reshape his expression into as trustworthy a face could be. " _We both have precious maidens in our families we must protect at all cost! Why! My clemency only proves my good intentions, as, 'IF' I had malicious intents for your dear twin, then I would have been nothing more than a common enraged bea— Argh!"_

A sharp pain came when the priest tightened the sling's knot a bit too tight. " _Nice try, but I still don't approve of you._ " Although it was at this point that a measure of remorse seemed to shine through the priest's disgruntled exterior, and soon enough the pain — which had faded by that point into a dull but noticeable ache — melted away like dew in the morning sun as a soothing balm seemed to spread from the priest's hands through Juan's body as he made minute adjustment to the sling. Juan would have much preferred the Middenlander did this much sooner, but better late than never he supposed.

Jerónimo roared into laughter. "A brother's sense is too good for Tilean-level acting, 'don' Juan!"

He snapped to the smug master. "Quiet, Greybeard! Don't call me that blister of a nickname!

The veteran Diestro merely laughed harder and turned to the Shallyan. " _Oi, Priest! You seem to be quite the skillful little physician. Do you have a name?_ "

" _Verärgerter Heiler;_ _son of Eilika Heiler and Dieter of Kammedun._ "

" _Oooh~... Never heard of them._ _But I'm Jerónimo! Fifth swordmaster of the Diestros of Geometric sword circle and humble veteran of the defense of Solstrad-_ " The Estalian boy flinched which was luckily unnoticed by the two talking individuals. "- _And this is Juan! My apprentice through thick and thin; Toreador of Drakwald, and quite the Schürzenjäger as you might have realized from his greeting._ "

He sighed but accepted his Maestro's change of subject. " _It's an honor, Verärgerter. Thank you for healing my arm._ "

Verärgerter gave a ghost of a smile. " _All done for the compassion of Shallya, Schürzenjäger._ "

 _…_ This was the second time he felt there was something he was off, but he couldn't for the light of it figure out what it w—

" _The Toreador of Drakwald? Him?_ " Questioned the Shallyan priest suddenly with a barely raised eyebrow.

Juan blinked — realizing Verärgerter was pointing at him — and joined in by pointing at himself. " _Me? Wait... 'Toreador'? Are you referring to a_ Torero _, Mastro?"_

Jerónimo roared even louder out in laughter. " _Si. The Reikspeil tongue has difficulty producing our rolling R's. And congratulations on your first title by the way! May it be the first of many, until you reach the point you use all your ink when writing letters."_ The senior Diestro winked — reached into his bag, and brought out a goblet, and poured himself a cup of Delbrez wine before sipping it. " _Ahh~_... _Like me."_

" _Y-Yeah…_ " Juan averted his eyes and caused him to spot a sliver of white robe in the doorway — meaning an eavesdropper was present, and he had a pretty good feeling for who it was. " _Alas! If only the beauty hiding by the doorway had told her brother, then I would not suffer such in this moment!_ "

A cute _eep_ sounded out behind the doorway and caused whoever it was to run away.

Verärgerter spun around enraged. " _WALDBLÜTE!_ " The priest then hurried after what must have been his gorgeous twin.

" _Oho~ Seem like the little don Juan have actually made an impression on the petite dove! This calls for a toast! A toast I say! Haha!_ " Jerónimo raised the cup and began to chug.

Juan sighed and fell back in the bed. _Privacy, at last, I guess._

"Now then." Jerónimo slammed the empty goblet down on a table. "Something is on your mind." The Diestro didn't ask; he stated it.

 _Or not._

Juan cringed and pulled himself back up. "I-It's about my title, Maestro." Jerónimo stared at him with the eyes of a hawk, so he shifted his vision to the window to not be completely defenseless; and met a mixture of ancient dwarven and human architecture in a small stone window.

"It doesn't belong to me… I'm not some fearless torero who slay minotaurs as one would slay flies... " He spotted a house caravan passing by and a child running with a wooden sword. "It was just by a blessing of Ranald that I slew it... besides... you would have brought it down even if it had killed me..."

"Of course, we would! That Gorebull's Warherd was on the smaller side, and we had more than enough relieve forces to deal with it. Although..." The crestfallen apprentice looked to his Maestro — expecting a mocking grimace — but found Jerónimo with a rare fatherly smile. "You still saved a lot of lives, Juan. I'm relieved you got over your fears when it really mattered!"

"I..." Juan gritted his teeth.

This was his moment of glory! His grand moment! Yet... he was anything but...

"I… I have not been freed of my cowardice, Maestro, when the Minotaur appeared I—"

"Gorebull."

"When the Gorebull appeared I… I found my knees despairing once more... _like they did at Volganof!_ "

Jerónimo fell back in his seat with crossed arms. "... Then _why_ did you charge?"

Juan was silent for a good while at the question.

"Because…"

Why had he charged?

"B-Because..."

He gritted his teeth.

"Because, why not! Our backs were against the wall with nowhere to run, and we ALL knew those who died would be LUCKY compared to the unspeakable hell the survivors would go through!"

"Ah…" The Diestro took his beard in his hand. " Just like those brave souls who charged in _the charge through a thousand blades,_ no?"

He gasped. "Don't compare me to those fanatics! We lost eighty-one of our finest ships in that horrible charge when we could just have easily bombarded those accursed Dark Elves to death!"

"Yes, we could. But…" A strange look came over Jerónimo. "You know _why_ they charged."

Juan was baffled at the man's strangeness. "W-What do you mean?"

"You experienced euphoria beyond words when you humbled the Gorebull, _didn't you?_ "

Juan paused.

It had all happened so fast. He had stayed guard among the wizards and artillery when a roar from behind destroyed his meager courage. The Beastmen had planned an ambush, and a Gorebull thundered through the back-grove with a Warherd in tow — causing his balls to fly so far up his stomach that he could have called himself: _Juanita_.

The only thing that kept him from passing out was the hope that the powerful wizards next to him would weave up a spell of some sort, and end the opposing army before they got close.

But what did he find instead!?

Terrified, urine-soaked old-men, who should have been in an old folk home, rather than a bloody war! And not only that… he saw his own miserable reflection in those frightened eyes, and it made him sick!

So he did the only thing that would keep him from blowing his brains out right there and then.

He charged into the jaws of the beast, and it did not disappoint...

The Gorebull — _enraged_ that a meager boy would dare challenge him — joined the charge.

Every taunt Juan roared, unchained him; every inch brought him closer to death, yet also freedom unattainable by mere philosophers!

He did not know if it was the laughter, or him wavering his side-cape, but something made the behemoth decide that its horns needed to be coated in Estalian blood, and lowered its head in true bull fashion.

A fatal mistake.

The Gorebull failed to realize, that even if it was three times the size of him, and even if its horns were the size of tree trunks — it had just given him a fatal advantage; perfect for a suicidal Diestro apprentice with a rapier.

They clashed — and as the laws of Physics demanded: two colliding vectors will always create an outcome.

Sheer despair emerged in the nanosecond when the mad-bull realized that indeed its horn was shaper and significant — but it was not longer than his rapier, and its tip slid into the beast's eye like a hot knife through butter; revealing what it truly was: nothing more than a calve who had been found by its butcher.

Juan took the fading beastial grin of the now lobotomized cow and crashed over its back.

He dislocated his shoulder, yes; but the monster dislocated its life.

" _Euphoria beyond words?_... That I did, Maestro. And now I know _exactly_ _why the sailors charged..._ "

Jerónimo grinned. "Finally! _You get it!_ Why do you think we Diestro wear our massive hats!?" The maestro enforced the flaunt by giving a small bump to the hat with his two fingers.

… _Um?_

Juan didn't have the slightest clue. "Tradition and arrogance?" His Maestro's lighting-quick poke came again. " _Argh!_ "

"Brat!" Raged Jerónimo and pointed to his black hat. "Look closer!"

He once more focused on the famed headpiece. A wide-brimmed, massively, white feathered, Estalian Diestro-hat. In essence, what most — but not all — Diestros wore to show their rank. After all, there was the Estalian saying: _h_ _at and rapier mean trouble_.

However, they did differentiate their headpieces, and his Maestro was no different. A rounded blue medallion with a golden triangle, took the unfeathered part of his hat, while numerous classical exclamations were sewn on in white — relating to glory, courage, and triumph.

"... I still can't see it."

Jerónimo facepalmed. " _Ugh, I can't believe I'm going through with this…"_ Juan lost the last bit in the muttering. "Listen! _This_ hat is the first thing _seen_ on the battlefield!"

"Yes…" Not exactly the _wisest_ of stratagems, but mentioning it might get him stabbed by something other than a finger, so Juan kept it to himself. "And?"

"It's a philosophy, you pleb!"

… That came out of nowhere. "P-Philosophy?"

"Yes!"

"I-I thought to be a Geometric Circle Diestro was all about learning techniques and continuing Grand Patriarch Figueroa's legacy?"

"True! True! That is correct! But the ignorant masses do of course not know our Grand Patriarch as _we_ do..." The bearded-Estalian slipped deep into the chair and sighed hard. "Juan, have you heard the tales surrounding _The First Diestro?_ "

"... Are you jesting, Maestro?" Juan could have been asked what the color of water was and it would still have been less of an undignified question than the one asked. "What _city-born_ Estalian have not! Figueroa is _THE_ legendary swordsman who after numerous amount of victories, did the marvel of a true genius by applying geometry to his swordsmanship! Thus becoming the first Diestro and an inspiration to every Estalians — even now five-hundred years after his death!"

"... Hm, as I suspected, you only know the public story…"

 _Huh?_

"First of all... Figueroa wasn't a 'legendary swordsman in the beginning,' he was a mathematician who became a legendary Diestro after…" Jerónimo grimaced. "After he contacted an incurable disease..."

"By Shallya… tell me it isn't so, Maestro?"

"Sadly, it is… _Heh._ " A slight smile played over the old Estalian's face. "Whatever _the fly lord was_ expecting, it certainly wasn't the scrawny scholar to pick up a duelist hat and travel the peninsula. Did you know..." Jerónimo unsheathed his engraved blade. "That the early Rapier was known as the side-sword of commoners?... Our Grand Patriarch was neither a knight or noble — he was a civilian, and thus he wielded the weapon of civilians."

Juan could scarcely believe it. "B-But he won against the best of his time, and even slew that Grail Knight who blasphemed Myrmidia!? How was it possible!?"

"Well, how was it possible for you to slay the Gorebull?"

Juan froze. He did not have an answer.

"I'll tell you why: you were challenged by forces above you — and as our _human_ _nature demands_ — you became enraged, uncaring if it cost your life, as long as it brought down those who thought themselves better than you." A smile, bordering on the brink of madness emerged. " _This..._ This is the philosophy of Grand Patriarch Figueroa, and all true Diestros: a commitment to the lie known as courage."

"W-Why isn't it known by everyone?" Juan had wanted the words to come out strong, but it only came out as a whisper.

Jerónimo scouted the room from any eavesdroppers and leaned in closer. "Because The Inquisition have placed a heavy censor on the story. Only those found worthy to become Diestros are told the truth, and also because of overblown tales of valor, with all the flaws of the heroes swept under the rug, sells better to the masses."

"I-I see, but then why did you tell m—" Juan lost his breath.

 _Dear Myrmidia…_

The older Estalian smiled with a knowing look; and reached into his bag. "We don't wear masks because that would make it too obvious we are bluffing…" he brought forth a brand-new Diestro-hat and a sack of coin. "You are no longer my apprentice, and can be, an embodiment of humanity's defiance against those who would _dare_ think us weak." Jerónimo placed the hat and the sack on Juan's fur-blanket covered lap. "Know that if you accept it, then there's no turning back: you _will_ become a target, and you _will_ accept the challenge _no matter_ the enemy. That is the cost our title demands..." His maestro then arose and went toward the door.

"... You will not place the hat on my head, M-Maestro?"

"No." Jerónimo turned around with serious eyes. "It's up to you to choose whether you will accept it, or refuse it." He then smiled. "But I know you won't disappoint me, you never have… Goodbye, my friend... Show the world what defiance a human soul can bring." And with that last line, did Jerónimo turn and leave.

The young Estalian stared at the doorway for a good minute. Sure that his mentor was merely playing an elaborate prank of some sort.

After five minutes he had to swallow the fact that he merely hoped that was the case, but it was not. He was alone and had to face the newest challenge.

Juan stared at the two items on top of his blanket. The sack of coins felt heavy on his lap, whereas the brown hat could barely be felt. He took the items, and suddenly everything shifted: the sack became like a feather, and the Diestro-hat...

 _Oh, Myrmidia! The weight! The burden! It's a … It's a…_

Something snapped within him.

 _It's a crown!_

Others might see an oversized feathered-hat, but they were fools — untaught in the higher things — the honorable things — the _divine_ things. No, he did not have a mere a _hat_ in his hand, but the weight of something much _grander_ …

Would he back down?

His grin broke free, _further than it had ever been._

Of course not!

" _Hallo Heiler!_ " The Shayllan priest appeared in the doorway with a puzzled expression." _Come over here!_ " The about-to-be Diestro wiped away the tears and pulled the _crown_ towards his head. " _I have a glorious proposition for you, hehe…_ "

* * *

 _With trembling hand, he donned the hat, and his doubts faded into the background of his mind, his thoughts steadied by the reassuring weight of the legacy to be upheld, and the glory it would bring._

* * *

Professor Peter Port had experienced a lot of horrible things in his life. All from Grimm that could drain ones fighting spirit, to Semblances which only produced ill-fated powers, like _b_ _ad luck,_ and now — he turned to the closed door — _madness._ Truly, the tale of Jaune Arc was a sad one, but, perhaps in time, he would regain his true memories?

He could only hope and continue to shepherd him in the right direction.

A loud crash sounded out inside the room, and Professor Port didn't hesitate to slam open the door. "Are you alright, Mr. A—?"

He had experienced walking in on students doing all kinds of things he wouldn't even think about. But a bare-chested student wearing a moth-eaten oversized hat in front of a crashed cloth hanger?

That was a first.

Jaune stood straight with his poncho slung over his right shoulder and a pile of clothes under the other. Seemingly unaffected by his lack of modesty and how close he was to getting crushed. "Mhm. Of course, I'm alright. Sadly your mirror here…" Port followed where Jaune was looking and saw that cloth hanger had battered the dressing mirror on a closet. "Did not survive the hit. How much does this school require as compensation?"

A most peculiar sight indeed.

"I'm glad that you are unharmed, Mr. Arc. And there is no n-" Jaune turned to him revealing tranquil blue eyes. _Dear gods… How can this be?_ Professor Port shook his head to clear away the confusion. He was certain that he had not been told something that would clarify the matter because he doubted in his heart that a madman would seem so collected while also knowing that Ozpin would not make such a bold claim without being entirely certain. "No need for you compensate! I'm sure it was merely a rusting leg which broke under the subtle shock of walking near it."

The boy smiled. "I'm also quite relieved. And please, do call me Arc, we're brother in arms are we not?"

"R-Right… If I may ask. Why are you topless?"

A slight blush played over the blond's cheeks. "Ahh yes... I was about to change into my new clothes when I remembered a gorgeous lady friend of mine had used a bath here. Sadly, the calamity struck when I was moving over to ask you about it. And speaking of which. Tell me, my brother-in-arms..." Jaune — or Arc as he wanted to be called — pointed to his hat with eyes that now almost glowed in anticipation. "Have _this_ ever been seen by you?"

 _Quite the peculiar question, I must say._ Port felt his mustache tingle. "No, I… I don't recall it..."

"I thought so." Arc grinned and strode over to him while picking up a pair of unpolished boots on the way. "Let us be on our merry way then!"

Professor Port stayed as Arc went past him with confident strides. It had been brief, but _a whiff of blood_ from the boy's poncho had played his nose, although that was likely assumed on his regard. What wasn't assumed was this nagging feeling that was telling him that he had lied to his blond friend, or that he had been _lied to_ by his blond friend... but what could it be?

Oh, right.

He knew that hat! It was the old duelist hat the drama club had used decades ago.

"Come, my friend! Show me the baths of this place!"

Well, no reason to tell Arc. He probably only asked out of the kindness of his heart.

Wait...

 _His voice!_

* * *

Could she really be friends with an insane person?

Weiss had been having this thought in the back of her head ever since the crazed blond boy had started spewing stuff like _possession, miracles,_ and _magic_.

The answer was clear: _Of course not!_

But…

It still hurt to expose another faker — even if the faker didn't know it himself.

"Pst, Weiss! When do you think we get our team?" Her whispering partner broke her thinking, and Headmaster Ozpin's repetitions returned.

"... As Team AZUR!"

The heiress glanced up at the podium where Ozpin had just created a team out of four nobodies, which meant that only eleven of the initiates was yet to be assigned to a team, and that included her and Ruby.

Weiss huffed.

It was evident that the headmaster was holding out for the _twelfth 'initiate'_ to show up, before creating _her_ team after that stunt she did with the relics. "I think we will be the last team formed _._ " At least teaming up with Ruby and Pyrrha wasn't so bad.

"Aw, but I'm getting tired..."

"Same here, but there is nothing we can do about it, other than see it through and then go early to bed."

"You're not gonna ask Arc more about his past?"

"Would Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark come up to the p—"

Weiss cut the attention to Ozpin and instead focused it on her silver-eyed friend. "Ruby, it's not _his_ memories, it's all made up fantasies."

The doors to the auditorium opened up, but it could not have been the blond boy as he was — _quite —_ louder when entering places, so it must have been a teacher or an older student.

" _I know that!_ But Arc truly believes them to be his memories s—"

"Shut up you two!" A burly ogre of a student in front of them, twisted around and instantly turned white.

 _Guess, he's realized who precisely he's interrupting._ Weiss rolled her eyes at yet another spineless wuss.

"No... It's _him_!"

 _Yes, it was 'her.' The heiress to the Schnee Dust Company a— wait... 'HIM'!?... He couldn't be talking about…_ She looked back and lost her breath.

A long tattered ostrich plume was fixed to a likewise tattered, massive, brownish hat — covered by quickly sewed stitches and patches — and damp golden hair could be seen sticking out beneath the brim. Two sapphire eyes stood out between the blond hair and demanded absolute authority, while the porcelain skin that surrounded them brimmed in hues of healthy pink. An arrogant smirk was plastered on the young man's face, challenging _everyone_ and _anyone_ in the room to rebel against his mandate.

His neck was bare all the way down to his chest, as the white cotton shirt revealed more than any Atlesian guy would have dared. A long red side-cape hung over his shoulder; emblazoned with the beginnings of a golden eagle from what the established golden treads announced, and his white sleeves; ended in two antique swordsman gloves.

Classy black pants came next, and were held in place — not too tight and _definitely_ not too loose — by a single embroidered belt.

Lastly; two polished beaver-colored boots took over right below his knees, and differentiated him from the casual sneakers present in an almost haughty manner.

It looked good, but she would have laughed at the outfit if it was anyone else wearing it. Yet... it _wasn't_ anyone else.

It was Jaune Arc.

And he had changed. Massively so.

How?

She had no idea. But she wasn't complai—

 _What am I thinking!?_

She shook her head and looked away, but it was like his hand took her face and turned it back. The blond now had a slightly raised eyebrow, at either the podium or Ozpin. A nod came, so it must have been the headmaster. Sadly, he didn't nod to h—

 _Argh!_

Professor Port appeared with a wide grin at Jaune's side and placed a friendly hand over his shoulder, with a thumbs up towards Ozpin. This only made him stand out even more as the chubby professor was his direct polar opposite.

Jaune grinned back, before stepping out of the shoulder grab with hawk-like-eyes — searching for someone or something. She followed his eyes and saw a familiar redhead standing alone to the side. The duelist wasted no time and simply strode straight through the mass of students without care.

"Weiss, are you seeing the same that I am seeing?"

The melancholy four-year champion had a definite change of mind when she noticed the students split up a route for her partner.

"Yep."

"And do you see how… _uh_ … sane Arc looks?"

The pair met, and Weiss could see that Pyrrha was most likely asking the same question to the supposedly insane blond.

"I am."

Jaune shrugged and said something while tapping his head with two fingers.

"How do you think that happened?"

Pyrrha jumped forward and crushed Jaune in a hug, making gasp — _herself included_ — sound out in the crowd.

Weiss clenched her fists. " _I don't know!_ "

It only took an eyeblink for Pyrrha to realize she had _crossed_ a line because she flew back instantly — _good_ — and waved her arms around repeatedly. Jaune, on the contrary, did not seem the slightest bit affected, and stepped up and pulled her into another a hug.

Louder gasps sounded out.

 _Urgh! What is up with those two!?_

Jaune must have whispered something in Pyrrha's ear because she went tomato red before — reluctantly — stepping out of his hug.

 _Grr…_

"Aww~ He's cheered Pyrrha up! See! Arc's a nice guy. Even though he does have some strange fantasies… But what an outfit! It looks so cool!"

As if hearing Ruby; Pyrrha pointed a finger up and down his clothes, and Jaune gave a twirl to show off his new wear. He then grabbed Pyrrha's red hip-sash and pointed to his own belt with a frown — causing Pyrrha to giggle and cover her mouth with her hand.

" _Hardly!_ " Weiss did not know why but something was _really_ annoying her. "* _sigh_ * Anyway it's good that he's gotten over the shock. However..." Jaune started searching for something. "That does not mean he will have it _easy_ here! Especially _not_ with that accent of h—!" His blue eyes locked into hers.

A slash of a smile was given to her, and the blond strode forward.

Alone.

 _H-He's leaving Pyrrha for me!? W-W-Well, I-I'm flattered b—_

Jaune's right hand shot back, grabbed Pyrrha's wrist and dragged her with him. Well, ' _dragged_ ' might be the wrong word to use, as Pyrrha was merely pulled for two steps before she happily submitted and followed.

The crowd gave them a wide berth and Weiss couldn't blame them. She would have done the same thing if she wasn't _jea—_ the heiress shook her head — she would have done the same thing if she didn't know _why_ Jaune was acting in the way he was.

But still… scandalous rumors would fly amok after today, and she only hoped that Pyrrha would be able to handle the backlash…

The Schnee family were no strangers to mudslinging and slander — although some of it was _true_ as much as she hated to admit it — but they had more than enough lawyers to destroy any would be defamer. And the paparazzi… they had learned their lesson after one of them got caught snapping a _private_ photo of Winter down at a beach resort in Argus.

 _Pigs._

At least it had been Winter who caught the felon herself. Her older sister's letters that followed had been _reassuring_ that the slime got the punishment they deserved.

She breathed out and repaired her mental mask, as she would soon have company. One thing was certain: if Pyrrha found herself unable to handle Jaune's blows to her reputation, then she would step in.

"Hey, Arc! Hey, Pyrrha! How are you doing?" Ruby started waving to the approaching pair.

Jaune Arc seized her with his presence and strode up to her side with a smirk. She hadn't thought about it before, but his clothes and height _did_ give him somewhat of an imposing figure. Especially since she was looking up, being 5'3" and all, against someone who was _at least_ 6' tall.

Now, the imposing wasn't the problem; she was used to all kinds of men who looked at her hungrily like she was some kind of magnificent prize they _had_ to acquire.

And she was.

Yet.

The domineering blond did not look at her like that. No, he was looking at her as one would an Atlesian ice-flower, wondering if they should only enjoy it... _or_ _pluck it._

… _W-Why are my palms getting sweaty?_

"Hehe~" Pyrrha giggled and stepped past Jaune to join Ruby's side. "Let's just say I got _quite_ the amazing surprise earlier~"

"Really? What is it!?"

The duelist kept her eye contact as their partners jabbered on — uncaring how it was messing up her mental landscape.

"You'll just have to ask Arc to get it~"

At least, he didn't know she was losing her composure under her mask… r-right?

His blue eyes lit up.

He knew!

"Okay! Arc, what did you give Pyrrha?"

Why she would show him! She gave her coldest ice-glare, but this only caused him to smile even more.

… _H-Help, anyone?_

Ruby stepped forward and poked him. "Heeeello? Arc? You there?" Her partner saved her, and he broke away.

"I merely gave her the gift of my company, senorita."

Weiss almost crumbled down.

 _Finally, I can b—_

Her heart stopped.

 _Oh my god._

Jaune's voice.

Jaune's voice had become normal!?

No, it hadn't turned _entirely_ normal. The accent and the play of words were still there, except now the heaviness was gone, and only the mildest of tones remained — making it completely new and _extremely seducti—_

Weiss shook her head furiously.

"Oh my gosh, Arc! Your voice is normal!"

"Amazing right?" Chippered Pyrrha.

It truly was. If Jaune Arc had regained his voice and his calmness, so soon after being hit by such a moon-shattering revelation, then there was hope that it would not take long before he recovered his memories and returned to nor—

"Does that mean you are normal now?"

Her face flew to her partner. Did she just ask that!?

The duelist looked just as shocked, before losing it to a somber smile. "No, Ruby. I have yet to find out what my… my..."

"True name is? _"_ Weiss barely stopped her hands from shooting up and covering her mouth. It had just come out of her subconsciously!

His eyes took her in.

Not flirtatious as before, but now serene and appreciative. "Yes, _my true name_... I would ask of you all to consider me nothing more than _Arc_ until I regain my true self." Arc brought up a fist and clenched it — bringing forth the tempestuous dual Aura. "As you can see; I'm still divided and unbalanced, but make no mistake." The calm waves in his eyes; turned into an unstoppable tsunami. "I _will_ find out who I am. But until that day comes... I'll swear my sword for the cause of humanity!"

" _And for the Faunus._ " Added Pyrrha.

Arc laughed. "Of course. _For the cause of civilization_ , then?"

"Yep, way better~"

The blond stood firm against all the odds — just like herself. _Subconsciousness… you did well._ The trio started laughing, and she joined in.

… _Maybe it wasn't so bad for Yang to hit him after all…_

Ozpin tapped the mic. "Hmf- _Hmpf_ …"

Weiss smiled wickedly. _And speaking of her…_

"Would Yang Xiao Long, Blake Belladonna,-"

 _Sorry, Yang. I hope you have fun having Ren and Nora as teamma—_

"-Ruby Rose, and Weiss Schnee come up to the podium."

 _WHAT!?_

"Yay!" Cheered Ruby.

 _HOW IS THIS P—_

"A pity."

Everything froze.

It had only been a mutter, but she had heard it.

Heat rushed to her cheeks.

Arc was annoyed to lose her.

She twisted her face away and grabbed her cheering scythe-wielder of a partner, and hurried away before he noticed her blush.

…

…

…

Could she be friends with a hot, _slightly_ insane guy?

Weiss flickered a bit of loose hair behind her ear with a smirk.

Yes.

Yes, she could.

* * *

Arc followed the heiress's departure with keen eyes. _Tsk, to have her under my command would have done wonders for my reputation_. He turned to the beaming Mistral Champion. _Then again not all is lost..._ A chuckle escaped him. "Guess our team will be just you and me, huh, Nikorita?"

Pyrrha laughed. "We would have been able to handle it, wouldn't we? Sadly, there is still a pair left we will most likely team up with."

He raised an eyebrow. "You've numbered and calculated, how many pairs of initiators have already gotten teamed up!?"

"Yep~"

"That's my partner!" He brought his arm up her back and gave the beauty of same height an Estalian head pat. "Atta girl!"

Girls always loved it when he did that. Well, either they loved it, or they started a fight — which suited him perfectly, heh.

Pyrrha went slightly red. "D-Don't do that in front of everyone."

"Oh, _right_." Arc smiled and leaned closer. " _Afterwards in private, yes?_ "

Pyrrha went full red but still gave him a minuscule nod in response.

He could not keep his pleased grin hidden and gave the blushing girl some distance to catch her breath. After all, she might pass out, and that would not do at all, especially since he preferred carrying the softer sex when they were fully conscious.

And speaking of passing out…

"Pyrrha?"

The lovely redhead breathed in and out to catch her breath. "... Y-Yes, Arc?"

"When I woke up at Ozpin's office I was in some kind of weird stretch on the floor…"

"Ah!" Pyrrha's blush disappeared. "That was me; I placed you in the recovery position?"

"Recovery position?"

"Yes, it's a position that prevents the victim's tongue from choking themselves. I learned it in Sanctum's First aid curricu—"

Arc and Yang spotted each other through the crowd.

The brawler was walking up towards the podium with her reserved partner. He knew that Blake _particularly_ didn't like him and he _particularly_ didn't care. However, the blonde girl was different, something had changed in her eyes after he woke up, and he did not like it.

 _Time for a test._

He gave Yang a wink, and she frowned, shook her head, and turned away.

 _Oho? A challenge, I see_ …

Arc smiled, it was certain that Yang did not see him in the same way as before. Yet, he wasn't rattled. After all, he still had one ace up his sleeve when it came to the busty blonde, and he would be _sure_ to bring it up next time they met.

So, for now, she could sizzle a bit, while he plotted their private reunion.

Would fists fly, or would tears fall and hugs be given?

Who knew.

One thing was sure: It would be _glorious._

But for now, he had spared enough time on the thorny sunflower and turned to Pyrrha with a smile. "To think you even know First aid. My~ I feel luckier by the day to have you as my partner!"

"Ahaha..." Pyrrha shied away, causing her red hair to cover a bit of her green eye. "... _Thank you, Arc._ "

"Nono the thanking is all on me!" Arc threw his arm over her shoulder and pulled her closer. "If it weren't for your spear-throwing then I would have been one dead guy." He tapped her collarbone with two fingers. "So. Don't. You. Forget. It." Gasps sounded out behind him.

"O-Okay." Pyrrha grew both hotter — as his arm around her shoulder told him — and redder by the moment.

"Good!" He threw back his arm and joined it together with his other one behind his head. "So! How's our missing pair of teammates looking out?"

"Hmm…" His partner pondered for a moment with the blush still visible, before a mischievous glint came over her. " _You'll just have to wait and see~_ "

Heat rose from his neck. "I-I see." He turned and focused on the podium where the four girls stood — not the _slightest_ because of Pyrrha — but because it was the respectful thing to do. "W-Well, I trust you. So I'll be patient..."

 _Dammit, Pyrrha! You're not supposed to take me unguarded!_

The redhead giggled and joined in the observation of the girls' inauguration.

"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna—

Arc started coughing like a leper.

 _Belladonna!? She's_ _related to that Tilean Whor... Uh-oh._

Everyone was now staring at him, and he could even feel daggers coming up from the podium. "Sorry! Got something stuck in my throat, h-hehe..." Once again he had to wonder if he were caught in some daemon's scheme to confuse and embarrass him to death.

Ozpin shook his head and continued. "And Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as… Team RWBY."

 _Interesting_. Arc placed a thoughtful thumb under his jaw.

"Led by… Ruby Rose."

 _Very interesting._ Weiss was like Ruby — shocked — and he didn't blame her, he was sure that her last name would see to it that she became the leader. How was the Headmaster going to deal with the backlash of this obvious snub towards what seemed to him the most powerful merchant family in this world?

 _Guess Ozpin is true to his word; he is indeed a follower of meritocracy._ Arc knew that Ruby Rose had iron in her; however, he would still call it too soon for her to take on the mantle of leader. He shrugged. No matter. If Ruby did not live up, then he was certain Weiss would step in, but if scythe wielder did it, then he would he take her under his mantle.

The Diestro nodded to himself, and moved his eyes over to Yang, and consequently: Ruby, as the older sister was currently crushing her little sister in a bearhug.

 _Good to see you smile, Sunflower._

Arc grinned and took the last girl into his eye: Blake Belladonna. He might not have been interested in her before, but that sure had changed after learning her sharing the last name, as the infamous Lucrezzia Belladonna: The Black Witch of Tilea; The kiss of death, and without a doubt, a major political figure for those coin-loving Tileans.

How could this be?

True, they shared the same hair color, and true, the amber-eyed girl was a delight for the eyes. However, that's where the connection ended. And he did not see her having a crazed warlord madly in love with her, nor did he see her having a Myrmidia damned _library_ of lewd writings.

Nonono. It was more likely that she got it after the poisonous flower: Belladonna, and considering how she was, that might not be so far off the mark...

"How do you think Ruby will handle it?" Asked Pyrrha.

Finally, a change of subject. "She has potential and strength, but time will tell if she can live up to the burden."

" _Burden?_ "

"Yes." He pointed up at Weiss who now had a bit of distance from her partner. "Weiss wanted to become the team leader, but unfortunately she lost her position to Ruby. This will have a two-folded effect, as it will first create rupture within Team RWBY, and secondly, it's a major confidence blow to the heiress."

"R-Really?..."

"Don't worry." Arc turned to Pyrrha with a grin. "I'll do my best to lessen the divide!"

The redhead's shoulders eased, and she nodded.

"Ahem." Cleared Ozpin. "Would the final four make their way up to the podium."

It was time.

"Let's go, Pyrrha." He stepped past her with a grin.

The students segregated once more, giving him a deserving path towards his objective. He had only walked a few steps before two familiar faces emerged at the stairs to the podium.

 _Well, well, well._ He glanced back at Pyrrha who had a playful expression. _What an excellent turn of events, hehe_. A quick wink was giving as thanks, and he returned his focus to the duo of black and orange.

"We find ourselves together again."

"Indeed we do, my rival, Indeed we do."

"Heya, Arc! Nice gea— YOUR VOICE GOT FIXED!"

The Diestro gave the orange top a deserving glare. "As _fixed_ as our team, don't you think, _Nora?_ " Someone hit his shoulder with such force that he almost fell over.

 _Who dares!?_

"Come on, Arc." He spun around and found Pyrrha easing her clenched fist with a smile. "You like Nora and Ren. And who knows it could be destiny pulling strings?"

"Or it could be that magnetic personalities are drawn to each other." Added Ren.

For some reason, Pyrrha started laughing. "That too."

Arc stared at the trio that would become _his_ team for the next four years. He shook his head with a grin and fixed his hat. "Well said, both of you. But enough chit-chat..." The about-to-be-leader took the first step. "The finest team Beacon has ever seen awaits its crowning!"

"Yes, sir."

"Oh! Like a queen!?"

"Already getting ready for the leader-role, I see. Hehe~"

 _That is correct, Pyrrha._

The trio followed — unaware of the ambitious blue-eyes that bordered on the brink of madness.

 _That is absolutely correct, hehehehe..._

A couple of steps later. And Ozpin stood before them, oozing authority that demanded their attention. "Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, and..." The Headmaster turned to him and gave him a strange look. " _Arc_."

The named blond raised an amused eyebrow, as the whispers went wild through the hall.

"The four of you retrieved the white rook p—"

" _Dude, did you hear that!?_ " Arc adjusted an eye down on the crowd. " _That weirdo with the ridiculous hat doesn't have a last name! You think he's some kind of crook!?_ " A boy with purple hair had mocked him and the entirety of Diestrodom.

" _Xing, you moron! He's staring at you right now!"_

This would not go unpunished.

" _What! You're jokin—!?"_ Arc caught Xing's eyes.

 _Ridiculous hat you say?_ He focused his rage into a rapier-glance. _Do you have the spine to back it up?_ The purple-haired boy went white as a ghost. _That's what I thought, Commoner..._ _Oops, I missed my team name._

Arc brought his attention up towards the enormous screen.

He could taste the intoxicating potential flowing like sweet lemon wine. His team would be unstoppable! A quartet of absolute power! Nora would shatter any and everything with her massive Warhammer; Ren would take the spot of the pragmatic counter-balance as Wu called it; Pyrrha would be his right-hand lady, and destroy any fool who attacked with metal, and at the same time significantly advancing his reputation.

And him?

He would be the rapier tip, that pierced the unpierceable.

The screen revealed the team name Ozpin had chosen, and Arc's jaw fell to the floor. _Oh, you SON OF A B—_

"Led by Pyrrha Nikos!"

* * *

 **Author's ramblings**

Savage theron: You made it to the ending! Congratulations! Pat yourself on the back and take a couple of eyedrops, you hear!

Now, I know some of you are thinking: _What are you doing, Savage!? This chapter is too long! We're dying here!_ And I agree, truly any publisher would have strangled me lol. However, I didn't feel like giving you guys _yet_ another cliffhanger for this year!

So for _THIS_ year, there will be no more Cliffhangers!

Well... _not that there is much left of this year anyway_ …

Heh.

Now, why are you looking at me like that! What, do you think I'm writing a Mexican telenovela!?

(Yes.)

...

...

...

Anyway! Onto the reviews!

Someguy the anon:

let us hope the writer doesn't die from a stress induced heart attack

Savage theron: Thanks dude, but my heart is fine, I was more worried about Solar's, but it managed to carry him through the exams.

Slaggedfire:

Glynda needs to be punished for threatening a student. Or fired, definitely fired.

Savage theron: Haha! Then I hope you enjoyed what the reason behind it! (Shit they noticed! Abort! Abort!)

Rhivan:

So we've gotten backstory for Mr. Arc. I rather like it as it does build some complexity for his character and show who he was before.

I'm also looking forward to how he is going to interact with everyone going forward, and how much Jaune is going to shine through the estalian.

Savage theron: Ahh… Thank you, Rivan. I hope this chapter once again cements why it was worth it to keep reading past the first chapter.

DragFire:

Superb as always. I love the comedy moments.

nullstudent:  
First time reading and I already love it!

Silver Prima:  
Haha! I got to say you did a awesome job! I really like this.  
I try so hard not to die laughing.

HonestBender:  
Really good, hoping the next chapter comes soon!

Savage theron: Eyyy Fellas! Ya, give me too much probs! Haha! Anyway, may this chapter not only live up to the standard but even surpass it!

Lovnag:  
Now if this isn't something to be called a damn fine ride, than I don't even know what is.

Savage theron: Ohohohoho, we're only getting started…

 **Edit: 12-27-2018*** Remember, _faith_ and _fate_ are not the same! Damnn these English words still get me after I've mastered _properly_ and _probably..._ Thanks for the call out, Huesped! Anyway! Solar, added 3 few lines to the chapter that you may enjoy if you find them muhaha.

...

Nah, I'm not that evil, they are 1. After Juan got his shoulder popped in place; 2. When Professor Port first see Arc with calm and not la-la eyes; and 3. A bit of Pondering from our Diestro regarding Team RWBY's leader and its consequences.

 **Edit: 01-15-2019*** Fixed _Medieval era_ people into _Dustless era_ people. And now I'll return my focus to chapter 7.

* * *

Finally, Solar and I wish you all a wonderful, merry Christmas and happy New Year. May this chapter serve as a present from us to _you_ — the reader. Now, some of you might not have most joyous of Christmases, but I do hope that this chapter will give it a little happiness in this dark season. Besides, the new year is soon upon us and with a new year comes a new beginning.

 **So let's all give a** **toast for 2019!**


	7. Chapter 7

" _Ah, well met, my young friend! I've heard you become a Diestro quite recently... A shame about your arm, but it will heal in due time with that Shallyan you have in tow, hehe... As you might have recalled in my letter; your reputation has quite proceeded you down here in the south… No! No! You shouldn't frown over it! We, the Cult of Myrmidia, greatly benefit from it! And speaking of benefits…._ " — Fr. Bernardo, Priest and Prelate of the Myrmidian faith; Magritta.

* * *

Frankly, he should have seen it coming.

"You cannot do this to me, Ozpin!"

He was dealing with a mentality who relished in the ways of old. Of course, the boy would resist his decision to the bitter end. "We've gone over this, Mr. Arc. Even though you commanded admirably in the Emerald Forest; I still cannot accept your request after you told everyone about your so-called Estalia."

Jaune slammed his hands down on the Ozpin's desk — rattling the tea set placed there. "I know! But could you at least not have named us _Team Pyrrha_ out of all things!?"

Ozpin smiled. He might have taken it a bit too far, but humor was important after all, more so when you were immortal. "Team PVRA was indubitably the most fitting name for the four of you, as like Team RWBY, your team is also named after _your Leader_..."

Jaune's eye twitched.

"P for Pyrrha; V for Valkyrie; R for Ren; and A for you."

"You even went so far to place my letter last!"

The Headmaster paused and leaned into his seat. "There is no correlation between the placement of a Huntsmen's name-letter and their competence, Arc."

"Of course there is! Look at the first letters on all the Teams!"

"Except that, yes. The first letter has always been reserved for the Team's Leader. Surely your goddess would agree on the importance of tactical traditions like this, _hm?_ " The young anomaly flinched, and Ozpin knew he had been right about his weakness. "And speaking of your goddess _..._ wasn't there a dogma regarding the _utter_ importance of following orders—"

Jaune threw up his hands. "Alright! Alright! I give..." A dark glint came over his eyes before it disappeared just as suddenly. " _Still_ , there must be some way for me to prove that I am worthy of being a leader. After all..." He dusted off his shoulder with an uncaring expression. "You did say this school respects merit above all."

The Headmaster raised an eyebrow at Jaune's acting. "Indeed it does. Remove any doubts from your companions' mind regarding your sanity, _and_..." Now it was Ozpin's turn to give a dark glint. "Defeat Pyrrha Nikos in single combat. Do this, and I'll grant your wish."

Jaune went wide-eyed; before a wolfish smile took over. "But of course, don Ozpin." He took off his hat and bowed elegantly. "It will be my honor to showcase a little dance with my dearest partner, _hehe_ …"

The Headmaster almost blinked, as if surprised by the answer he received. There was no way Jaune could ever hope of defeating Pyrrha. Not even with that soul empowering him. "Is there anything else you want to discuss, Mr. Arc?"

Jaune arose from the bow with a slight frown. "Yes, there is the matter of my… _of my weapon_."

"Hm?"

Glynda stepped forward. "We have it ready, as long as you remember to store it within your assigned locker."

Ozpin did not have to see his old friend's face to know that she was giving one of her trademark glares.

"I see…"

Yet strangely, it did not seem to shake the youth out of his thoughts.

"Can I store it there while I use some other weapons for the time being?"

Glynda stiffened. "Why?"

"It's just… I can't use these weapons to my full potential, and more importantly..." Jaune mumbled something under his breath that was too low to hear.

"And if I refuse?"

The blond crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Then I will fight with cutlery, of course." He nodded self-assuringly to himself. "I'll make it work, and gain myself a Diestro branch dedicated to my name in the process!"

Glynda coughed. "Mr. Arc, may I remind you that stealing from the School is _strictly_ forbidden."

Jaune recoiled and placed an unsure hand on his back hair. "W-W-Well, then maybe I'll win some duels for a noble and save up to a rapier, or something…"

 _Noble?_

Jaune was eighty years too late if he thought the old nobility would be of any help. Ozpin had seen to that personally.

"... I'm sorry to say this, Arc, but the nobles that you're looking for is n—"

" _Ms. Goodwitch._ "

Still, there was no need for Jaune to have all his illusions destroyed in one night…

"Sir!"

Glynda got the message.

"Excellent response, Mr. Arc. I'll have professor Port guide you to our weapon arsenal tomorrow morning." The blond's confusion changed into happiness, and Ozpin reached below his desk to pull out the drawer. "You'll also be assigned a second locker to house your new choice of armament." He brought out Jaune's old weapon with an added item. "And here's a small Scroll of your own. Use it wisely, and keep it on you at all time."

 _It will make it easier to track you, should you decide to run._

Jaune stared at the white device on top of his weapon with a sense of awe.

"You know," a smirk appeared on the boy's face, "from my mad memories, I'm quite certain that scrolls were something you found in dusty libraries, not technological wonders that would leave scholars jaws on the floor." He took it up in his hand and pocketed it with a grin.

"Would you require an explanation on the basics of how to handle a scroll?"

"Absolutely not, doña Goodwitch!" Exclaimed the blond in his usual over-dramatized voice.

"Donja?"

"It'll be a wonderful little adventure to figure out! Besides, I should have the knowledge stored somewhere in here, hehe." Jaune knocked his head with his knuckles while equipping his sheathed sword to his left hip — entirely unaware that Glynda had asked him a question — so Ozpin once again had to step in to save him.

"You was asked what doña means."

Jaune's eyes flew to him with a bewildered expression. "Wh— It didn't translate!?... Uhh... Well, to put it bluntly, it's an Estalian feminine noun for don or s—!" The boy gasped. "Or _sir_!"

Ozpin and Glynda froze.

"Yes! I've figured out a direct translation between my dear Estalian and the tongue of this world! Haha! I'm one step closer to regaining my true self!"

"That's wonderful news, Mr. Arc." Congratulated Glynda with a perfect mask. "Perhaps you will regain yourself earlier than we assumed?"

The self-declared Diestro threw his right arm forward with the palm upwards. " _May Verena's justice see to it!_ " Jaune then clenched it and pulled it back with friendly eyes. "Was there anything else, don Ozpin? Or do you prefer _sir_? Heh."

Ozpin quickly cooled his nerves and answered. "Sir is fine. And no, you're free to go."

"Then I'll take my leave." Jaune spun around in a flourish and strode towards the elevator. When he came to it, he once again repeated the same dancer's spin and faced them. "May Morr bless your night with pleasant dreams." The duelist then lifted up his hat in farewells and lowered his eyes towards the elevator panel — and mashed them all with an open hand.

"..."

"..."

They both stared as Jaune smugly crossed his arms while the elevator doors closed.

"... Did he just do that?"

Ozpin sighed deeply. "Yes. Yes, he did. It's going to be a long way down..."

The comedic moment was brief as Glynda's serious eyes met his. "Sir… have you experienced a merging like this?"

"Never. I've always made my presence known in my host body, and sure some merges were faster than others..."

 _And some who never came to be_. He bit his lower lip. Suicides were never easy.

"But what Jaune Arc is going through is truly bizarre. Either the other soul is conscious of him and is unable to speak, or… _this is not a merging at all_ … "

"What are you theorizing?"

He looked at his assistant. Glynda Goodwitch was an exceptional pragmatic, who had accepted the things he had told her without flinching. Yet, with all her strength she still could not handle the truth, so he had to tread lightly. "It could be that Jaune and Juan _did_ merge upon Ms. Xiao Long's fatal punch, but are now in the process of splitting apart, like water and oil."

" _The opposite of you,_ " whispered the blonde with horror in her voice.

"Correct."

She shook her head and steadied herself. "Then we will use it to our advantage. If we can figure out the process and replicate it when we transfer the fall maiden's powers to Pyrrha, then we might be able to save her from losing herself."

"If Jaune doesn't break before that, then yes, we could use him for that."

Glynda went wide-eyed.

"You remember how my merging occurs?"

"Yes, upon death your soul transfers to a random male, and then over time dissipates and give your host all your previous memories and power."

His exact lie, word-for-word.

He gave Glynda a small smile which only he knew to be sorrowful. "It's one thing for two souls to merge. It's a whole other matter to separate souls _from_ each other. I did think the damage caused by telling Jaune his name was physical in its nature, but if my last theory is correct… then it might be of the soul instead."

Glynda cringed. She understood the implication of it. If telling Jaune's name could decimate him like that, then a full reveal of his past would rip both souls asunder.

"Then that means _…_ _Sir_ ," the shock disappeared in her voice, "if _Salem gets a hold of Jaune, then she might learn of a way to do the same to you._ "

"I know." He thumbed the keyboard - causing the Dust light screen to appear in front of them. "But not if our associates do their part."

A flickering later and it had connected to its target: General James Ironwood.

"Ozpin. Glynda." Greeted the General with a smile behind a desk. The Headmaster of Atlas was a military man through and through; square-jawed, orderly, and dressed in the white uniform of the army he led. "If this is about the Staff of Creation then I assure you that everything is going fine."

Another window sprung up to the left.

"Hey Oz, do you mind? I was just talking with this cute waitress and— what's the Jarhead doing here?"

"Qrow," said the general without his previous friendliness, "... are you drunk?"

Qrow Branwen was the polar opposite of the General in everything from mannerism, posture, and even placement if the sleazy alley in the video feed was anything to go by. "Yeah, I am. You got a problem with that soldier boy?"

"Why you—"

Ozpin cleared his throat. "I got information to share." He brought Jaune's files up on the screen. "I have found something of a kindred person recently…."

* * *

For the fifth time a ding sounded out through the elevator, and for the fifth time, he grimaced, as the doors opened up to a new floor.

Arc took off his hat and scratched his head.

Honestly, he could see the purpose of the elevator opening on every floor, but they could at least have removed it in rush hours. At this pace, he would have to spend the night in the elevator before he reached the bottom of the tower.

 _Wait… what even IS 'rush hours'!?_

His head fell down with a heavy sigh. Once again he was reminded of his messed up memories.

Usually, when gods wanted something out of their followers, they showed themselves in apparitions. Yet, he had only gotten symbolism — narrowing his sender down to one god in particular.

He ripped 'Crocea Mors' out of its sheath. It was named as such by Ozpin, but there was no doubt in his mind its true name was none other than _Crocea Morr_ ; after Morr, the god of the underworld himself. To think that a simple, humble longsword with such holy a name had stayed beneath his clueless nose was beyond humorous **.**

A true divine comedy beyond mortal men.

At least, that was the only reason Arc could think of that explained why he wasn't laughing and was instead clenching his hat like a drowning man would a robe.

It did not require a philosopher to decipher the message: A Diestro's touch was needed to slay a foe of Morr.

 _And even possession was too little of a 'sacrifice' to achieve it..._

Boiling anger emerged.

 _By the first Diestro, I swear, I will tear apart the Divine Court if a mediocre reason is given for this! MY WRATH WILL BE L—_

A sixth ding sounded.

 _Ugh, really? Talk about mistiming..._

The blond snickered and placed his prized possession on top of his head. A sense of calmness washed over him, easing his rage into nothingness.

Truly, it was unbefitting of him to shake a fist against the gods when they had saved him from the brink of madness.

Who was he to question their ways?

Besides, compared to his previous mission, this one was downright simple: Find the foe of Morr and slay it.

…

Would he wander the world like a malnourished vagabond; seeking the enemy till the end of the stars themselves?

He smiled.

Of course not.

If Morr wanted that, then he should have sent one of his Templars.

But he hadn't.

Nor had he given any divine orders, which meant that Arc was free to rise to the top of society, and crush the wretch beneath accumulated power.

Now, rising to the top of society required respect. So he would fulfill the Headmaster's demand to take his rightful spotlight as the leader. Which meant gaining the trust of his companions.

A laughably easy task.

True, Yang and Blake did look differently at him now, but Estalian charm would resolve that conundrum...

No, his attention should be spent on how to defeat his Chamon-blessed partner and her metal manipulating ways. Because if what he thought about her Semblance was correct, then she would prove to be one of the biggest challenges imaginable.

He took out the item from his pocket and pressed the yellow diamond-shaped button; causing the Scroll to extend vertically in his hand, and revealed a see-through panel that had the same emblem on — _he flinched_ —the initiation catapults, namely, two green axes, crossed over a laurel wreath.

 _What the?_

The heraldry morphed into a 'picture' of himself which — unlike the previous one, where he had looked sickly and weak — had been taken while he was charming the heiress. Luckily the white beauty was not shown, or he would have strangled Ozpin for inadvertently sending assassins his way.

Something else struck him like a thrown brick.

 _Why am I not shocked to the core?_

Under normal circumstances, he would have dropped the Scroll, but he hadn't. In fact; even him agreeing to have Pyrrha unlocking his Aura was utter insanity and something his old self would never have allowed.

 _Unless…_

He killed the thought. Whoever he _had_ been mattered not. He was Arc, and that was all that mattered.

The blond pressed a small magnifying glass in the corner and made a table filled with letters appear on the screen.

 _Alright, let's see… P… y… r—!?_

After a mere three letters, the screen was filled with all kinds of search terms related to his red-haired partner. Arc blinked — doubting his eyes — he knew she was famous but this bordered on the brink of idolatry. Further scrolling revealed only more blabbering regarding his 'oh-so-famous' partner.

 _At least I can confirm that she has the adoration of the masses, but that does not prevent her from shoving a sword up my behind if I'm proven correct! So where is the information on her Semblance!?_

He threw the search bar down with a light swipe — and promptly froze up.

Were anyone from back home to see him, they might note the surprising similarity to the outraged Inquisitor's face on the satirical painting: The Inquisitor whomst beholdeth the fondling of Myrmidia's likeness.

' _What... kind… of… underwear… does… Pyrrha... Nikos… wear…'_

The elevator's seventh and the eight dings sounded out before Arc returned to his senses.

 _They really DID want to know! Uncivilized plebeian scum!_

He cursed under his breath and swiped up.

Since no one would provide the answer, he would do it himself. The Scroll sprung into life after a quick tap on something called 'Mistral Regional Free-for-all,' and suddenly pictures moved across his screen like magic.

Arc did stare a second longer than usual, but at this point, nothing really shocked him anymore, so he merely shrugged and gave the captured memory his full attention.

Fifteen competitors faced off in an arena, but only one caught his eyes. Pyrrha Nikos stood out from other contenders, both in her beauty and outfit, but more on the fact that she had fourteen glares aimed at her.

The dueling horn blared, and the five closest to Pyrrha charged her.

 _Dishonourable cowards. Well, I guess she's done f—!?_

Arc's jaw fell.

Pyrrha not only survived the attack but even ring-outed a competitor with a spinning spear move that would have made Wu jealous. The rest were dealt with in a dazzling display as she shifted between spear, rifle, and sword in fluid motions as quickly as one could blink— decimating her foes with near perfect efficiency — while her shield proved both defensive and offensive when she hurled it point blank into the face of a staff-wielder before catching it midair.

Pyrrha Nikos now stood alone among the five unconscious cowards — but then she suddenly ducked as a blur passed over her.

 _Hm?_

Someone had _thrown_ an unconscious competitor like one would throw a ball.

The screen retracted; revealing a single dark-skinned beauty with platinum blonde hair and one sleeved yellow robe of the — _not Cathayan_ — Mistralian variant.

A duel would decide the winner, and his Diestro blood boiled in anticipation at the thought.

Pyrrha's foe began to throw shadow punches to warm up and twisted her body to slam her right foot in front of her — causing a small shockwave to erupt around her.

 _Ohohoho, Cathayan Dragon stance!? She's a practitioner of martial arts then! My~ this_ _land_ _keeps getting more interesting!_

If magnetism truly were Pyrrha's sole source of strength, then this would be her biggest counter. Yet, she was anything _but_ worried if that passive face was anything to go by.

Pyrrha flew forward with a shield bash, but her opponent was ready and punched the incoming aegis — sending the redhead back with her high-heeled boots scraping the ground.

Arc observed that the shield had not only survived a Yang-tier punch without breaking, but it had also done so unscathed. _And here I thought Dwarf-made was the best of the best. Hah!— hm? What is this~?_

A slight smile had appeared on the otherwise indifferent Pyrrha.

 _You've found a worthy opponent and decided to go all out?_

Her green eyes sharpened in response.

 _Very well..._

The dark-skinned girl sensed something was wrong and took up a defensive stance.

 _Show me the full extent of the so-called Invincible Girl, Pyrrha Nikos!_

As acting under command; Pyrrha shot forth with otherworldly speed. She parried the first incoming punch with her shield and spun onto the extended brown arm — dodging the second punch — before slamming her sword behind the brawler's knee.

The girl had barely fallen to her knees before Pyrrha delivered three piercing stabs with the speed of a Tilean master duelist — _or a lesser Diestro apprentice_ — and stunned her opponent with a shield bash.

Pyrrha then shifted her weapon into a spear and uppercutted the fighter into the air, and threw her shield up into the still airborne fighter, before jumping up while delivering a power swipe from below.

The shield was then caught by the now air-superior Pyrrha and was thrown once more into the falling fighter's stomach. His Partner then did an elegant backflip and plunged down with her boots into the shield — slamming the martial artist into the ground.

The dark-skinned girl did not get up after that, and the victory horn sounded out.

Pyrrha Nikos stood victorious.

 _She's… She's this skilled even without her powers!?_ The Diestro missed the tenth ding because of his pounding heart. He had entertained the idea that it might be the case but did not really expect it to be true. He chided himself for his foolishness, as the signs of her skill had shown themselves throughout his time with her, but he allowed himself to see only some damsel to rescue. For starters, he would have died without her spear pinning him to a tree as well as not skewering him in the process. _Myrmidia, and every Saint of The Spear._ He grinned with his whole being. _Thank you._

An unbeaten foe was the sweetest of fruit to pluck. But it was also a high hanging one, which was a thrilling prospect for a consummate duelist such as he.

"Hello, Arc!"

He almost dropped the Scroll. The friendly voice — and pale thighs beneath the screen — revealed it to be her.

"Oh! You have a Scroll?"

With the grace and speed of a true Diestro did he pause the Scroll without shattering it.

"Were you watching something nice?"

Arc raised up his eyes and met his partner's green ones outside the elevator. "P-Pyrrha, what are you doing here!?"

His target suddenly found something more interesting in the wall and began to play with her red hair. "Professor Peach gave us our rooms after you followed the headmaster, so I decided to come and get you if you want…"

Unbelievable.

He deadpanned and brought out the Scroll to look at the screen.

"Arc?"

The Pyrrha Nikos in the arena was focused, tranquil, and unwavering.

She stood like a true Myrmidian saint.

He raised his eyes and saw the girl with the waist-long ponytail go wide-eyed and avert her face when he stared.

While this Pyrrha Nikos was shy.

… _Am I dealing with same-named twins here?_

Once strength always signified once confidence in Estalian society, so why wasn't it the case with h _—_ _Uh-oh._

The elevator closed to Pyrrha's utter terror from the looks on her face.

 _... Oh well, I'll just find my way u—!?_

Black aura shot up around the metal doors.

 _You have got to be kidding me._

Then the doors were ripped open with a ding by a wide-armed scowling Pyrrha, and Arc could not help but imagine her crushing a man to paste within his own armour with that power of hers.

 _Magnetism... Out of all the Semblances I could have faced... I swear, Ranald. If this is payback for all the rebels, I've killed. I'll—!_

Pyrrha grabbed him and pulled him out. "Don't just stand there! _Move!_ "

Well, more like yanked as she was not quite gentle in handling his arm. Not that Arc cared for that, because right now he was staring at the exact face of the girl who won the tournament — killing any theory regarding twins.

It lasted but a moment before Pyrrha blushed and recoiled. "I'm sorry! I-I've just been waiting so long, and I didn't want you late for bed when we have our first day tomorrow..."

Arc could barely believe his eyes. Here was one of the potential strongest humans he had ever known, with a unique ability that would make her the terror of every warrior in the Old World, and what was she doing?

Covering like a maid would in front of her Master after breaking something.

 _Maravilloso._

He stepped up to her. Pyrrha Nikos was not only a famed and skilled warrior — but she was also docile.

The perfect subject.

 _Maravilloso._

The brim of his hat touched her hairline — covering both their faces in shadow.

It was settled.

"A-Arc?"

He would forge her into the perfect second-in-command.

* * *

Pyrrha was used to getting stared at by fans, boys, and sycophants. However, what the blond was doing with his eyes was anything but mere staring.

He was piercing her very soul with a blue gaze.

How she realized this — while being calm — was something she would have to figure out later, but for now, she could relax that it was safely hidden away in the back of her mind.

Arc raised an amused eyebrow.

 _Oh, gods, he knows what I'm thinking!?_

He snorted — confirming her fears — and stepped past her. "It's fine, _Nikorita._ But first I have to deliver my weapon to the locker room."

"W-Wait!" She spun around and hastily followed her partner who was striding forward. "You still need to know where to go afterwards."

A single blue eye pinpointed to her faster than some Huntsmen she knew.

It hadn't hit her before, but Arc had quite a menacing look when seen from the side with how his hat covered half his face.

Luckily, his flirty uneven smile dissipated the tenseness. "Hmm~ Who said anything about you staying behind?" The sounds of students emerged further down the corridor which somehow made Arc lose his smile. " _Tsk_ … But I guess that is to be expected of women. Only good for following orders."

 _Wh-What?_

Pyrrha must have misunderstood what her partner meant, or it must have been Semblance messing up his thinking for a moment. "What do you mean, Arc?"

"I'm saying be a good little girl and follow like a dog."

She froze. There was no flirting or joking in his voice. This was how he really thought.

The blond didn't even spare her a glance as he kept walking.

Her first true friend had stabbed her in the back.

 _Or rather…_

Pyrrha clenched a hand over her chest and bumped into Arc — knocking him down when she strode past him. She would deal with him later, but for now, she needed to cool off before she did something she would regret.

"... And then I told them that Huntsmen really are the best kissers."

"Pff! A wonder you even got their Scroll-data, bro!"

She went into a side-corridor and saw two older guys who instantly eyed her up. A small voice told her to hide, but she had more than enough stuff to deal with, and instead straightened her back.

The guys looked up, and their glazed eyes changed to one of pure horror.

They sidestepped to the walls — giving her clear passage.

"S-S-Sorry, Ms. Nikos!"

"Won't happen again, we swear, Ms. Nikos!"

Pyrrha was shocked, but she still strode past them without a sound. The moment she passed them, the two students ran like a horde of Grimm was after them.

" _Kehehehe..._ "

A slow clap sounded out behind her. It belonged to Arc.

"That was a wonderful display of superiority, Nikorita."

The coldness in his posture and voice was gone, and in its place had returned his usual warm self.

Then it clicked in her mind. "You acted to make me angry."

"Indeed I did!" Arc laughed and missed her glare completely. "An old mentor of mine used to tell me that anger is a great tool if used correctly. Why, did you see the looks on their faces wh— _ow_."

She punched him, not to hurt him, but just enough to let him know he was pushing her buttons. "You're the worst!"

Her partner merely rubbed his shoulder and winked seductively. "Of course I am, but you're sadly still stuck with me." He leaned closer and gently poked her chest with his finger. " _Mistress~_ "

Pyrrha felt heat burn through her body, but she knew that Arc was trying to slither away from the subject. " _Enough._ "

And she wouldn't allow that.

The shrewd blond faked confusion. " _Hmm~_ Did you say something?"

"Why did you manipulate me?"

The relaxed atmosphere evaporated, and Arc's eyes became cold and calculating. "To teach you the difference between being exalted or being used." He nodded for her to follow and strode forward — uncaring if she did or not.

 _I should have slapped him instead!_

Pyrrha groaned and went after him.

"You're the leader," continued Arc when she got close, "so you have to act your part. If _you_ are weak, then _we_ will be weak; and our enemies will grow bold."

 _Enemies?_

She would have laughed if she didn't know his condition. "Arc, we _don't_ have enemies. We only have the Grimm to worry about."

The boy turned to her with annoyance. "You're telling me you haven't dealt with assassination attempts from rivals? Or nobles trying to… _ugh_ ... claim you by force?"

She gasped. "Good heavens no! I don't know why you would think that. But my rivals have been nothing but respectful — although some have been more respectful than others — and under no circumstances have anyone tried to 'claim me' by force!" Pyrrha noticed that the blond's expression eased considerably with each word she spoke. "Besides, we haven't had nobles for almost a century—"

"WHAT!?" His hands shot out and grabbed her by the shoulder, and his eyes bulged out of their sockets. "Are you telling me the rights of nobility are no more!?" His eyes were more full than she had ever seen.

"Y-Yeah, the old monarchies in the four Kingdoms were disbanded after the Great War," Pyrrha explained, "so there's no nobl— Arc?" She paused when she realized that her partner seemed to have calmed down, but now scrutinized every iota of her eyes as if believing he could see her thoughts that way.

"By Myrmidia… you're not lying..." He released her and staggered into the wall with dead fish eyes. "They did it…the agitators... _they actually did it_ …" She lost whatever he was trying to say in his mumbling.

"Are you alright?"

He twisted to her with piercing eyes. " _What kind of government are we under?_ "

"Governing Council."

" _Who's in the Council?_ "

"I-I don't know who's on the Vale Council, only the mistral council, but I know that Academy Headmasters are given a seat in their respective Kingdoms."

Pyrrha froze.

 _Why did I answer without thinking?_

"So… _he knew…_ " Arc spat the line out as pure bloodthirst began emanating from him. Then it all disappeared when he closed his eyes and gave her a soft smile. "No matter." He took her hands in his own. "At least now, I only have to focus on defending you on the battlefield."

"Ehehe…" She _gently_ pulled her hands away. "Arc, what was that before?"

The smile deepened. "What do you mean, Nikorita? I'm just so _happy_ that you won't have to deal with court intrigue, and that I _only_ made myself look like a complete fool in the process. That's all~"

 _Riiight_ …

"Uh-huh, so back to what I was asking y—?"

He spun around and marched away.

… _Is he serious?_

She hurried after — there was no way she was letting get off the hook that easy!

* * *

Arc took a deep, _deep_ breath.

Now finally in the locker room could he relax after the worthy challenge of navigating the student infested hallways, with green eyes promising death at all times.

At least the students who saw them would think twice about double-crossing Team PVRA.

Arc took a second deep breath.

To think that Pyrrha had so brazenly confronted his manipulations in the open — nearly giving him a heart attack in the process — was unbelievable. Arc believed only the most devout followers of Verena would have hunted for the truth to such an extent. However, his Pyrrha had proven herself unrelenting as he tried tip-tiptoeing around the subject to no avail.

So he had used an age-old trick to… _subdue_ _her._

The Diestro shifted his hat slightly so he could glance at her body posture without getting noticed.

Pyrrha was leaning against the locker next to him, with her arms crossed, her chest rising faster than average, and her index finger tapping impatiently.

If only that damned Headmaster had told him about the abolition of the aristocracy, then none of this would have happened.

Arc took a third deep breath.

But Ozpin hadn't, so of course, his mind had jumped into a frenzy when Pyrrha revealed that fact. No matter, his trick had worked as intended, and now he had to deal with the consequences. "Ah, Pyrrha."

" _What?_ "

 _Yep… Still angry._

Women.

Making them happy was easy. Making them angry was easy. Doing _both_ was akin to juggling hand grenades made by a drunk Gunnery School apprentice engineer.

Fortunately, he was _quite_ the juggler...

"You know," he added a bit of force to his voice, "I only said that stuff about your skirt because I'm not the only guy here..."

Her grip eased a bit. "I see..."

 _Yes! Jealous possessiveness never fails to warm the soft hearts of fema—_

"Maybe I should make it _shorter_ then."

He recoiled and inadvertently raised his head — locking eyes with Pyrrha. He had not expected her to reply with _that._

" _Is something wrong, Arc~?_ " The redhead asked innocently, perhaps a tad _salaciously_ , even as her emerald irises told him that she was very much aware of his attempt at deflecting the conversation.

 _Dammit! She lured me into a trap!_

"N-No, Pyrrha..."

She placed a hand on her hip and stepped closer. "Then how about you stop beating around the bush," Pyrrha continued until she was under the brim of his hat — making it impossible for him to hide his reaction, " _and answer my questions?_ "

"W-Well," He gulped, only truth would save him now, "First of all, I only acted that way before because I was afraid that you would be used if you showed weakness so openly."

She gave him a glare in response.

"Secondly, as you probably have forgotten; I'm an Enf—"

"Enforcer of the Loyalists in Lustria, I know."

 _How in Myrmidia's name does she remember that!?_

His mask luckily held and did not show his surprise on his visage. "Y-yes, which — as you might have guessed — made me quite taken back… I assumed this place to be under the Crown with all its court intrigue and backstabbing when you referred your countries as _Kingdoms_ of all things."

The redhead's glare softened. "You didn't know better, and tried to protect me."

"I… uhh..."

 _Is that a question or a statement—!?_

Pyrrha reached up and placed a gloved hand on his cheek. "You're a good person, Arc. But you must be more honest with me, okay?"

It was soft.

"Right..."

She pulled her hand back with a saddened look for some reason. "Your home was a rough place, wasn't it?"

"... It was. If you didn't die on the battlefield, then you would die when your guards opened the doors for assassins..."

 _Why am I telling her this!?_

"How did you deal with it?"

"I…" Even though he had just revealed another weakness, Pyrrha didn't care. "I…" Instead, she was giving him her full attention with eyes softer than Cathayan silk. He gave himself a mental kick. "... I used my blade! _Hmph!_ "

"..."

"..."

 _D-Did I just 'hmph'?_

Pyrrha's hand shot up to cover her mouth. "Pfhaha!"

 _Welp._

He spun around; ripped open the locker — threw his accused weapon inside— and slammed it shut.

 _Time to go out in the Emerald forest and kill myself._

Arc's cheeks were burning — and from the looks of Pyrrha amused eyes — his face must have been full on tomato red. He quickly reached up to mimic rubbing his head and pulled his hat down to cover his face. "Lead the way."

"Alright~"

She took the lead, and he took his place at her side.

...

The Diestro glanced to his left and saw with his lowered hat that Pyrrha was still smirking.

…

Then her smirk grew.

...

Meaning she was watching his mouth beneath the brim as well.

 _Curses!_

He put on a quick smile — but it was too late — she noticed and giggled.

…

Abandoning the gods didn't sound so terrible now for some reason.

They continued onward in silence — him in brooding, her in amusement — and although he hated to admit it, he was grateful that his partner didn't rub it in like the vultures back home would have.

She led him outside through the chilled night, and after a brief walk, they entered a building that must have been the dormitory, for the mansion like interior. Afterwards, she led up some stairs to a hallway filled with lined white doors, and guided him to one of these doors and opened it. "Well, Arc; we're here."

A cozy interior revealed itself. Directly in front of him on the opposite end, was a wooden cased window with red curtains — the same type he was using for his side-cape — and two beds on each side with an empty bookshelf beneath it.

Ren had taken the bed to the left and gave him a silent nod, which Arc mirrored before he turned to his partner with a pleased smile. "Thank you for leading me here, Pyrrha. I'll accompany you back to the female dorm now."

"Umm…" She blushed and looked away for some reason.

"Hiya, Arc!"

He spun around and saw a wet-haired Nora with only a towel covering her body.

"Did you get what you wanted from the headmaster?"

The Diestro blinked and leaned into the room — and went pale.

There weren't two beds in total.

There were four beds.

"Pyrrha..." The color drained from his skin as he turned to his partner. "Do Teams sh-share rooms?"

Her blush deepened. "W-Well…"

* * *

Yang leaned into the wall by the door with a slight smile.

"Teeeeam RWBY! Hah! I've always wanted to become a Huntress! But becoming Team Leader was something I never dreamed off! Don't you agree, Weiss?"

"Absolutely," said Weiss with a twitching eyebrow, "but I'm sure you'll be a superb leader."

"You really think so!? Ah!" Ruby rushed to Weiss and gave her a hug. "You're the best!"

"Ugh! Ruby! _Don't!_ " The heiress tried strong-arm herself out of the hug, but Yang noted with sisterly pride that Ruby did not lose her grip. "My nightdress is getting all wrinkly!"

" _Bah!_ Who cares about that!?"

"I CARE ABOUT THAT!"

Blake turned another page on her book, utterly uncaring on the fight happening in the middle of the room.

Things like this helped.

But it didn't change the fact that she was still feeling worse than that time she had a hangover on her period.

 _Jaune…_

Yang lost her smile.

For what everyone believed, she wasn't 'blondie-stupid.' She just preferred having fun and making fun. However, no one around her really seemed to understand the severity of the situation and what she was going through.

 _What will happen once the truth is out… Will I—?_

' _What the hell is wrong with you people!?'_ sounded out from the corridor, and she knew who it belonged to.

Jaune Arc.

She looked to the girls in the middle, but they hadn't heard a thing from the looks of it, and her partner...

Her partner was looking at her with a smile like a pleased cat. "Hungry for a late snack? You've been staring at the door for quite a while now..."

"Eh heh, you know me~!" Yang could breathe easy knowing that Blake hadn't a clue. "Yeah, I think I'll go and grab a sandwich. You want something?"

The black-haired girl shook her head with a smile that was only getting more mischievous. "I'm fine. Just don't take too long, okay? We got class tomorrow."

… _Yeah, shit, she knows..._

"Sure, cya!" She took the door handle in her hand and pulled—

"Aww, but Yang," moaned Ruby, "what about your diet?"

The blonde had to use every bit of her self-control not to squash the handle. " _What about it?_ "

"Didn't you say that your curves were getting a bit too 'curvy' for your liking?"

" _One snack won't kill me._ "

"Okaii~"

" _Hmf._ Be careful you don't rip out the refrigerator door, Yang. It would be a shame if your lack of self-control caused yet _another_ accident!"

Yang glanced over her shoulder and gave the Ice Bitch a death glare. "I'll do that, _Ice Queen_. You just take care not to melt all over the floor."

"Melt?" Asked her adorable innocent little sister, while the heiress went red in her arms.

"YOU GUTTER-MINDED PIECE O—"

The blonde left the room and closed the door behind her before the heiress could finish. A muffled ' _URGH!_ ' sounded out from their room, and Yang let out a satisfied chuckle.

 _Now then._

She took a deep breath. "Hi, A..."

The hallway was empty.

 _... That's life, I guess... I'll just get that sandwich..._

Yang released her breath with a heavy groan and stomped down the hallway.

 _Then again it was probably some random dude._ She gritted her teeth. _And I really don't need that right n—_

A hand shot out of the side-corridor and yanked her in — and before she could blink she was pressed against a wall.

 _ALRIGHT, THAT'S IT!_

She retaliated with a right hook.

" _My~ My~_ "

Yang stopped her fist a paper-length away from the assailant's cheek — blowing their hat away in the process.

"Look who lucky me got my hands on."

That 'assailant' being an extremely close and smirking Jaune with the charming accent Ruby had described.

" _Hm?_ " His blue eyes moved to her fist — and kissed it. "Heh, soft as a flower~"

She continued the hook with a hiss — but the tall boy dodged it with a backstep. "What do you want!?"

He stepped back into her personal space. "You!"

 _Wh-Wh-What!?_ Everything froze for her. _He's confessing to me already!? But we've only known each other for two days! And I—_

"... To return to your normal self. Hehe~"

 _Oh._

"Hello, Sunflower?" Jaune waved a hand in front of her eyes. "You oka—"

She pulled him down to her face. " _Leave. It_."

Jaune stared back with an amused expression. "You really do have pretty red-eyes, you know that?"

She growled and pushed him away — causing him to tumble down into the opposite wall with a slight groan. "What do you want!?"

The blond cracked his neck and began dusting himself off. "As I mentioned before, sunflower." His blue eyes took her in. " _I will see to it that you return to your former self._ "

She rolled her eyes at his horrible flirting attempt. "Pff, alright, listen I'm grateful and all but now's really not the t—"

"You saved me."

Yang froze again. There was no mistaken the sharp look he was given her. Jaune was serious.

And yet...

He was smiling warmer than she had ever seen. "Come." He tapped the spot next to him. "I got a secret to tell you."

Curiosity got the best of her, and she slowly trekked over to him and sat down — a bit too hesitantly for her taste, but he didn't seem to mind.

"Now, what I'm about to tell you is the absolute truth..." A soft hint of red appeared on his face, and he looked away. "So bear with me if it gets weird..."

She nodded couldn't believe how cute he was right now.

"I-I…" Jaune shook the nervousness away and turned to her ready to face the tempest. "I'm sure Ozpin told you this, but when I woke up — after him saying my true name — I did so with no idea who I was, but what he doesn't know is _how_ I regained myself. You see..."

His exhale tingled her face.

"I experienced a hallucination of some sort during the memory loss. Whenever I closed my eyes: massive red eyes would appear. Luckily they quickly shrunk to normal size. However, that wasn't even the weirdest part, the weirdest part was the shadows gathered around the eyes and formed... "

A strong arm stirred around her waist and brought her into his side.

"You."

Heat erupted in Yang over being pressed up against his fully clothed self when she was only in nightwear. "H-Hey, A-Arc. W-What are you d—!"

He nuzzled her head with his own.

A hot boy was nuzzling and hugging her on the dormitory floor, where at any moment a student could walk out and see them.

" _Thank you,_ " whispered Jaune with his scorching accent.

Her mind went haywire.

"The memory of you brought me back from the brink of the abyss." He tightened the hug. "Therefore you mustn't be sad. I'll recover from this. I swear."

She looked up from the shirt into his deep blue eyes. "P-Promise?"

"Promise," he gave her his usual smirk, "so bear with me and smile until I can tell you my true name, okay?"

Unflinching boldness, calm heartbeat, and a faint aroma of roses.

That was the man she had created.

"O-Okay," she gave him her best smile, " _Arc~_ "

If that were wrong, then she wouldn't want to be right.

Arc smirk changed into a smile to mirror her own. "By the way, Sunflower~"

"Yeah, Arc~?" Her heart raced.

Now came the best stuff.

He gently took her chin in a free hand. "You're…"

His soft thumb danced over her lower lip, and she allowed it with a giggle and closed her eyes for their first kiss.

" _Open!_ "

His hand flew up from her waist to her head; and used it to push her down — and himself up — while ruffling her hair furiously.

"WHAT THE FUCK _,_ ARC!?"

Her eyes flew up — but it was too late — he had sprinted away with his hat; leaving only the echoes of his laughter behind.

She stared at the direction he had escaped too, before slowly reaching for her arm.

" _Ow_."

There was no doubt about it: she wasn't dreaming.

…

Yang slid a hand through her hair and found it messier than the time she and Ruby went camping for a week.

…

Typically she would have chased him down for a lesson or two on why she was the last person one should ditch.

But they had four years together, so she had time to plan a prank that he would _never_ live down for the rest of his days.

She grinned and went back to her room with a stroll.

* * *

Arc hummed and closed the door behind him. His success with the little 'sunflower gamble' had gone over and above his expectations, and now he only had Blake and Pyrrha to worry about before his position as leader was secured.

"Did you get over your culture shock, Arc?" Asked Ren from the bed to the far right.

"That I did, my Rival. Pardon, it took this much time to calm my nerves."

"Don't think about it."

"Oh! _Oh!_ "

Nora suddenly appeared in front of him in the same type of outfit that Yang had worn.

"Stories! Stories! _Stories!_ "

Her excitement brought fond memories of his glorious return to Margritta. "Hah! Ain't you special? Alright, how about…" Suddenly he felt the toll of the day on him. "... Eh, sorry, Nora. I got about five minutes before I fall asleep on the carpet." A yawn escaped him as his eyelids were getting heavier.

The hammer-wielder pouted. "Aww..."

He gave her a clap on the shoulder. "There, there. You got tomorrow and four years to ask me about stories."

That cheered her up from the stars in her eyes, and she nodded excitedly before jumping into her bed. The bed next to Ren for some mysterious reason…

He chuckled and turned to the side to find his partner writing on a notepad in a bronze colored pajama.

 _Time for some fun..._

"Mistress, which bed is mine?"

"The bed to the far lef—" Pyrrha suddenly froze and looked away. "And don't call me Mistress! Call me Pyrrha from now on!"

"Haha! Alright, what rules have you decreed in my absence, _hm_ ~?"

The redhead turned a page on her a notepad with a fading blush. "No peeking when people undress; knock twice before entering the room; knock _thrice_ before entering the bathroom; don't touch other people's belongings."

Arc blinked — shocked that she had actually come up with rules. He quickly used the cover of taking off his cape to hide his smile from showing. "You have my word that they shall be kept. Anything else?"

"We've gone over what we would want in the room. Is there anything you want?"

He took off his shirt and folded it onto a nearby table. "Give me the walls. That's all I need."

"The walls?"

"What'cha want them for, Arc?"

The Diestro threw himself onto the bed Pyrrha had chosen for him. " _Ambición_." He yawned. "Requires them, my dears. A farmer cannot toil without land, nor can an artist create with nothing!"

"So... you want to pretty them up?" Questioned Nora.

"…Yes."

This society was quite akin to Middenheim when it came to speaking directly.

"If four years of my life are going to be spent here, then it won't be with this plebeian interior."

Pyrrha nodded. "As long as you tell us what your planning on, then I don't see anything wrong with it."

"Thank you, Nikorita. I'll make sure to enlighten you all when I've figured out what masterpiece I want to create… Now if you'll excuse me." He pulled the blanket over him and blocked the light with his Diestro hat. "I have appointment long overdue with Morr. Goodnight."

" _Ugh,_ Pyrrha why are both our guys so lazy?"

"Hehe, that's just how guys are."

Had it been any other time he would have thrown out a couple of friendly jabs. But he was honestly too tired.

Arc ceased resisting his eyelids and closed them with a fist over his chest for a quickly muttered prayer to Myrmidia.

He had a lifetime of research ahead of him tomorrow, if he were going to survive this strange place, and see his ambitions fulfilled.

* * *

 **An interlude from a different world's past  
**

* * *

Jerónimo ignored the glares and angry whispers of 'foreigner' as he made his way to the room on the upper floor. He was not worried about the boy starting shit as he did in Mittelweg, because he was currently unconscious. And if he weren't, then he would have locked him up in a room anyway, as the nature of the meeting was meant to be confidential.

Soon arriving at a door indistinguishable from the rest, he knocked on the door to the rhythm of the chorus of one of the many songs created to celebrate the victory over Sultan Jaffar — so he would not be turned away like any other idiot trying to gain entry. He heard the door unlocking and the word "Enter" sound out from within, and took this cue to do as asked.

Within the room, he found several well-built men who were dressed like the average Middenlander, but the observant would notice the general lack of wear and tear and noticeably better grooming. But subterfuge and disguise is not something you associate with the Knights Panther.

"Greetings, maestro Theodoric, I trust you wish to discuss the terms of my employment, hm? The details were rather vague, and I am surprised that such an ancient and historied knightly order such as yours would consider funding a regiment of… 'Free Company.'" Jerónimo said with a slight flourish and a bow, even as Theodoric's subordinates very conspicuously and deliberately locked the door behind him.

"Indeed, the Grandmaster knew the sharper ones among you would pose such a question." Theodoric began by stating the obvious. A measure of surprise had spread throughout the mercenaries of the Old World, as the word that the Knights Panther had volunteered to foot the bill for the mercenary cost after the war in Ostland.

This was known by the enlightened to have been done, to mitigate the excessive losses amongst the State Troops of Middenland. An apology, ostensibly, for the charge of the knight's panther cavalry arriving too late to save many of the province's soldiery.

Of course, they would confine the hirelings to the most disciplined of the lot, but the minutiae of this were not what they were here to discuss. "But before we get to business, I must ask… do you have it?" Theodoric asked, his last words carrying inflections of the infamous Middenlander temper.

"Ah, of course, Maestro, hold a moment, and I shall show you immediately." Jerónimo then began to fumble with the many, many compartments of his leather coat, to bring out the proof of his employment. He allowed the moment to drag on, as the disguised knights began to grip their blades more and more tightly.

If Jerónimo were in truth some brigand who had ambushed, killed and impersonated himself, he would have pulled out the gilded sigil of the Knights Panther. Rather than the triangular brooch of white cloth, the colour of parley (even if most people just assume it to mean surrender, which was not entirely untrue.)

At the sight of the brooch, however, the hands of the knights left their hilts, though there was still an ounce of tension in the air, since this negotiation was meant to determine the future relations between the two Aquila Academies of Carcassonne and Nuln, but a cooperative relationship was far from the only possible outcome.

Jerónimo approached the empty seat opposite to Theodoric and sat down in the admittedly rickety chair, and laid his hand on the tablecloth. He looked to Theodoric for approval, to which the man nodded. With a swift motion, he pulled out the tablecloth from underneath their mugs of alcohol, shifting them by but an inch, to reveal the red twin-headed eagle of the Knights of Magritta under…

Where was the emblem of their order?

He looked over the table more closely, only seeing a few stains of ale. He looked up at Theodoric again, who looked back with a puzzled expression.

"... I thought you were asking if you could be the one to begin the negotiations." Theodoric spoke it as if that was the first thing that should have come to Jerónimo's mind.

"And I thought you lot would have had a sense of flair and drama for this clandestine meeting of ours!" Jerónimo spoke at his usual volume, but the embarrassed edge in his voice served as exclamation enough.

"You have attended too many Reiklander plays with overblown, exaggerated portrayals of intrigue! I did not feel like painting something that could be traced back to the order! Nor, paying the innkeeper to keep shut, and pray to Ulric that our enemies wouldn't pay him more! The order is already scraping the bottom of our treasure chest to keep the expensive mercenaries in the Graf's army paid, and I especially don't feel like paying out of my own purse! Not to mention what would happen to our progress of building an Aquila Academy here if Cult of Ulric found out!" Explained Theodoric, and Jerónimo had to reluctantly agree with his assessment of the situation — even if he felt the Middenlander could have put a bit more effort in the accommodation for such a potentially world-changing meeting. "Regardless, while you are busy picking up the pieces of your dignity, I will begin the negotiations. Give you something to mull over as you collect yourself."

Jerónimo began sputtering furiously at the jape but managed to shut his mouth before he made a bigger fool of himself. He represented more than his own person in this room.

"As I understand it, your master, Cesar Despain, sent a message, to my master, Gunther Ostermann, saying that the Carcassonne Academy was willing to cooperate with the Nuln Academy with regards to that false master Tecero Gramsci. And that he would be sending an envoy to meet with me, Ostermann's own envoy, to elucidate us on the details of the aid being offered. Although with _you_ … I am starting to wonder if Cesar sent the wrong person."

By the time Theodoric finished, Jerónimo had regained his composure and swiftly replied. "Si, Señor, it is as you say; Gramsci has forgotten his knightly vows — an inevitable result from spending so much time among Tileans — and Cesar fears he would make us all into merchants and bankers should he become Grandmaster."

What he had stated was putting it very lightly.

The moment his master of the Carcassonne Academy had heard what Gramsci proposed, he exploded into a storm of swearing which exceeded the boundaries of verbal debauchery by a margin equivalent to the distance of the World's Edge Mountains to the borders of Grand Cathay.

"As such, we have established contact with you for the purpose of seeking your aid in ensuring that our Cesar is elected Grandmaster after Moretti's regrettable but _imminent_ passing."

It is reasonable to assume that words which fully conveyed how absolutely insulted Theodoric and his compatriots looked, let alone felt, only existed in the most obscure lexicons of Khazalid.

"I… I must have misunderstood you beforehand. I was under the impression that we would have a negotiation, not for you to demand obedience from us. Perhaps you would like Ghal Maraz to hammer nails into wood as well _?_ " The offended party ground these words out through clenched teeth.

The veteran Diestro had expected as much. "Listen…" He might be surrounded, but he would be damned before he allowed himself to falter. "We know that the threat of Chaos is not to be taken likely! For Myrmidia's sake, I was there at Volganof with you, Theodoric!"

The Knights Panther huffed mockingly in reply.

"However! Even with the academies combined would we still not have the power needed to take on the full force of Chaos..."

"Are you calling us weak?" Sneered one of the other knights indignantly

"That's not what I'm saying! For crying out loud, Señor Theodoric..." He turned to the Nuln representative. "You know that if their Warlord hadn't ceased fighting, then we would NOT have won!"

Seconds turned into hours as Jerónimo's gamble would either secure his Academy's victory… _or their defeat._

Theodoric looked back with an expression as stone-cold, as the Ulriscberg mountain where Middenheim itself were placed. His gauntlet fingers marched without moving on the table — then a glint of resignation played over the Middenlander's blue eyes. "What are you suggesting, Estalian?"

Jerónimo smiled on the inside, but he did not let it show and gave a hastily bow. "We Knights of Magritta are indeed not to be trifled with…" The surrounding knights eased up slightly at his flattery. "Be that as it may, even if we drained all our resources in men, gold, and political connections, we would still at best only make a stab into the Chaos wastelands before we would be surrounded by the hordes. But!…" He gave his spectators a confident grin. "If we had an Empire behind us, then everything changes! Help us unify the peninsula, and Cesar swears that all the resources of Estalia would be at your disposal! Our fleets and armies, our coffers of gold, the agents of the Holy Inquisition, and…" Jerónimo had to make a dramatic pause — Estalian blood demanded it. "Our Diestro branches. With that; the Crusade against the Chaos wastes can only end in victory!"

…

Silence.

...

No one said a word and one could even hear the laughter downstairs. Jerónimo started to sweat beneath his clothes as Theodoric merely stared at him with an expressionless face.

"... Everything _except that last part_ is as enticing as you seem to think it is, we will take it up with our Grandmaster."

 _Yes!_

Jerónimo barely held himself back from jumping up and dancing on the spot.

"However…regardless of the decision the Grandmaster makes, we have no intention to waste resources on an alliance with those that may not uphold their end of the bargain. What exactly does Cesar intend to offer us as a show of faith?"

Jerónimo bristled slightly at the implication that his word held no merit, but he could respect the reasoning behind it. They were not Dwarfs after all, and appearances can always deceive.

Reaching into his coat, he withdrew an envelope held shut with a gold-powdered wax seal. Unlike the previous wooden cylindrical scroll-carry Jerónimo had received, this envelope he was opening and the contract within were both made from royal Cathayan paper. Meaning this paper was of the highest quality, smooth as silk, and comparable to the magic scrolls of the High Elven Loremasters.

Royal Cathayan Paper was intended only to be used for direct orders and decrees from the Celestial Emperor himself. Using them for anything else was considered theft from the Celestial Emperor, which was punished by death.

This in practice meant that idiots with more bravado than sense, not in short supply even in the East, were willing to take the existential risk that was selling them to enterprising merchants of the Old World. Who was more than willing to associate themselves with the prestige such luxurious items possessed— even at a hefty fee.

Jerónimo felt his lips pull upwards at the glinting piece in his hand. The letters in the contract were lined with Lustrian gold powder to such an extent that the words seemed to glow in the candlelight.

It was the perfect display of raw power.

A literal contract of gold something that only a saint — _or a savage_ — could refuse.

The men surrounding him stared at the paper with wide eyes, fully aware that a small castle could be bought for the piece alone. Driving home the point that while both Academies were wealthy within their spheres of influence — one was drowning in far more wealth than the other, and that such wealth would be made available to the other if they accepted.

Theodoric reached out and snatched it out of Jerónimo's hand, and began to read the words imprinted on the exterior. " Términos…. y… condi….ciones de…" The Imperial trailed off as he squinted at the envelope, turning it over in his callused hands as he silently mouthed what Jerónimo presumed was some sort of profanity.

"What the hell are these Southlander scribbles? I only speak and read the Emperor's Reikspiel." Stated Theodoric in frustration.

Jerónimo smiled wryly at this, which only managed to make the Middenlander more annoyed. "The document itself has been written in Reikspiel for your convenience of course. It covers the specifics of what we require of the Academy of Nuln and the benefits we will give in return for your aid." Said Jerónimo with a tone of finality.

"What? Did we not come here to discuss that very matter!? Do you think us initiates to order around as you please!? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU A—?!" Theodoric angry rant died in his throat when he heard knuckles rapping against the door.

Jerónimo smiled.

"What, Maestro? Did you really expect the Carcassonne Academy to not send their finest member as their sole representative to this meeting, _hm?_ Come now, open up for the poor lady so she can serve our pints of Bugman's ale!"

Which was his way of saying 'Take it or leave it.'

The Knight Panther glared at him for a good moment, powerless to act without causing a scene that would draw too much attention, before giving his subordinates a nod towards the door. "So what are your plans for your little protégé? Planning on having him take over your little sword-whoring enterprise?"

Or having him prepared to become a member of one of the most influential secret society's in the Old World that is not drowning in the madness of Chaos, but that was left unsaid.

Jeronimó laughed softly. Theodoric did indeed know the games of intrigue, of hiding both barbs and hidden meanings within small talk. "No, he's far too extreme for our order."

"Extreme? Pardon me, but he's been nothing but ordinary until the ambush happened—"

"A friend of mine found the boy on a pier about to hurl away his pendant of Myrmidia. This was immediately after hearing about the 'incident' at Santa Clair, his faith did not waver so much as it evaporated instantly. There was not even an attempt at reconciling his faith with reality, no seeking out a priest to seek an explanation, no fervent prayer in the faint hope that he would be reassured, he just tossed it aside."

Theodoric paused and shook his head. "I see…."

" Some people are prone to zealotry. It does not matter the cause; when they believe in it, they believe it with all their heart and soul." Jerónimo sighed deeply. "My apprentice is the type of individual who is going to end up a fanatical member of an ideology — and if he becomes disillusioned with it — then he'll no doubt adopt an opposing ideology and be just as fanatical to said new cause; rather than simply moderating his commitment to his first ideology like a normal human would. In layman's terms, his faith is like a stone. It can be strong, yes, but it cannot change to suit his understanding of the world. It either stays the same, or it breaks."

"Then why in Ulric's name would you choose him as your apprentice!?"

"I would rather not have to deal with someone like that in some future encounter with some heretical cult. Santiago's moustache, I dare say that if I left him alone any heathen's parlor tricks would be enough to sway him to the Ruinous Powers."

Theodoric raised an eyebrow, taking a long draught of his ale as he did so "So it's just to deny the Dark Gods a willing pawn?" He asked, before taking another swig.

"Dark Choice. You have good taste." Theodoric smacked his lips before complimenting Jerónimo's order.

The veteran Diestro shrugged. "It is a factor…."

* * *

 **A/N**

Savage Theron: Wew, ya know, there's something indescribable nice about finishing a chapter.

Anyway, thanks Y'all a ton for all the R&R /F&F, you guys are awesome!

P.S

Maravilloso = Marvelous

Cya all next time!


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